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On 19 September, Azerbaijan launched an offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh in order to reclaim the breakaway republic as part of its territory. Although a new ceasefire and the surrender of pro-independence forces were negotiated following the Azerbaijani army’s lightning victory, concerns remain about the future of the population, 95 percent of whom are Armenian.
The question of who owns Nagorno-Karabakh – or Artsakh, as its called by the Armenians who live there – has been disputed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The ethnic nature of the conflict has even led some to consider the threat of genocide. The Armenian inhabitants, for their part, have already begun their exodus to neighbouring Armenia, for fear of how Baku might treat them.
Armenia has called on the United Nations to send a mission to ensure the safety of the Armenian community in the territory, as the 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping contingent failed to intervene during this latest offensive.
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