Armenia faces the challenge of resettling refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh
Since Azerbaijan’s offensive and months of blockade, Armenia has found itself faced with a major challenge: rehousing more than 100,000 refugees who fled Nagorno-Karabakh. These people flocked to the country after the capitulation of Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan’s takeover of the enclave. This major humanitarian crisis highlights the need for an urgent solution for these refugees who have lost everything.
On the roads leading from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, convoys of vehicles filled with families fleeing the fighting are common. Refugees, forced to leave their homes, are desperately looking for a place to rebuild. Among them, many qualified professionals such as doctors, teachers and engineers had to abandon their jobs and their possessions to escape reprisals.
Naira, a pediatrician by profession, left Nagorno-Karabakh with seven members of his family. She had already had to flee her hometown of Chouchi during the 2020 war. This time, she is resigned to not being able to return home. “There is no possibility of returning. Coexistence has become impossible. We must rebuild our lives here, in Armenia,” she laments.
Armida and her husband, also refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, find themselves facing the uncertainty of their future. They had to abandon their home that they had built with love and head to the capital Yerevan. “All our lives we have worked hard to build our house. Who could have imagined that it would end like this? Now we have to rebuild another one for our children and grandchildren,” says Armida with sadness and resignation.
Faced with this crisis, the Armenian government is striving to find solutions to rehouse these refugees who have lost their homes. Financial aid and psychological support measures have been put in place, but the challenges are immense. Affordable housing is rare and the infrastructure is not adapted to accommodate such a large influx of people.
The situation of the Nagorno-Karabakh refugees is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of armed conflict. These individuals who had to flee violence and destruction now find themselves facing the obstacle of resettlement. It is crucial that the international community supports Armenia in this humanitarian crisis and works to find lasting solutions for these refugees who aspire to rebuild their lives with dignity and peace.