Armenia says it has recorded more than 50,000 refugees on its soil

The Armenian authorities reported, Wednesday September 27, the arrival of 50,243 refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. PNearly half of the population has already fled the region, four days after the ceasefire agreement which places the region under Azerbaijani control. Last week, Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive brutally put an end to the Armenian separatists’ dreams of independence. Azerbaijan opened the only road connecting the enclave to Armenia on Sunday.

On this road, an incessant car convoy brings ever more refugees across the border. First stop for most, the town of Goris, which is unrecognizable. Hundreds of cars clutter its streets in the greatest chaos, under the eyes of police officers powerless to direct them. Many hungry refugees spent the night in their vehicles and emerged with eyes red with fatigue, many saying they had no place to sleep or anywhere to go in Armenia.

To add to the torments of the enclave, more than 100 people are still missing after the explosion of a fuel depot stormed by residents in the midst of an exodus. The tragedy left 68 dead and 290 injured. In addition, the former leader of the separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh from November 2022 to February 2023, Ruben Vardanyan, was arrested on Wednesday by Azerbaijani authorities, while trying to reach Armenia.