The United Nations announced yesterday (2nd) that most Armenian residents fled Nagorno-Karabakh, where an armed conflict broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan last month.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that during the U.N. mission’s recent visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, “our colleagues were shocked by the sudden displacement of local people from their homes and the suffering it must have caused them.” said.
Representatives of local residents told UN officials that “currently between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remain in the Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Dujarric said.
Before the mass exodus, the number of Armenian residents living in the area is known to be approximately 120,000.
Dujarric said UN officials were working to assess the situation on the ground and identify the humanitarian needs of those left behind and those in transit.
Spokesperson Dujarric also said that he had not received any reports from local residents about violence against civilians following the ceasefire, and that the United Nations plans to visit the area regularly.
Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced that one Armenian soldier was killed and two others were injured in a shooting that occurred along the border between the two countries.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but some areas have been run by Armenian separatist autonomous forces, and an armed conflict broke out between the two sides on the 19th of last month.
VOA News
*This article references Reuters.
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2023-10-03 15:00:00
