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Will Neal

Winter looms for Nagorno-Karabakh’s (already forgotten) refugees

‘Needs are huge, ranging from access to food… and shelter to essential services like healthcare and psychological support.’


Displaced families from Nagorno-Karabakh have found temporary shelter in this sports hall set up for them by NGOs in Artashat, near Yerevan. They don't know how long they will have to stay here.


GORIS, Armenia


Over the course of just a few weeks, the exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh has gone from top international headline to mainstream media afterthought. Given developments in Israel and Gaza, this is unsurprising, but local and international aid groups are concerned the lack of attention may translate into inadequate funding to address the pressing needs of a newly displaced population as the harsh winter sets in.

“We see that the needs are huge, ranging from access to food… and shelter to essential services like healthcare and psychological support,” Zara Amatuni, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s spokesperson for Armenia, told The New Humanitarian. “Part of our concern is also… that we’re going into winter right now, which of course adds an additional layer of complexity.”

Azerbaijan seized control of Nagorno-Karabakh on 19 September. Located inside Azerbaijan’s borders but populated by ethnic Armenians, the enclave had existed as a de facto independent republic for over 30 years – since the fall of the Soviet Union – and had experienced several rounds of bitter and bloody conflict between Azeri and Armenian forces.

During the two weeks after Azeri forces took control, nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh – estimated at around 120,000 – fled to neighbouring Armenia. The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, has recorded over 100,600 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia. Many have gone to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, or remain in Syunik – the border region with Azerbaijan where they first arrived. Others are spread throughout Armenia, a country of 2.8 million people with an unemployment rate of over 25%.

“One of the challenges is just the state of the world right now, which is placing a massive strain on international solidarity and the capacity to secure the kind of funding that is needed for this humanitarian crisis,” Christine Weigund, UNICEF’s representative in Armenia, told The New Humanitarian. The government has opened shelters to house people, but the majority have found temporary housing in often-crowded rented apartments or homes, or they are staying with relatives or friends. The UN’s migration agency, IOM, is expectingpeople to potentially move again as they search for longer-term housing and employment.

Armenian volunteers and civil society groups have mobilised to try to meet immediate needs, and the UN has launched a $97 million funding appeal to help support the refugees and the host community. Securing longer-term housing, employment, and enrolling children in school are high priorities, as is securing access to healthcare and mental health support for a population grappling with the trauma of rapid displacement on top of three decades of conflict. The speed at which people left Nagorno-Karabakh also means they were only able to pack the bare essentials. In many cases, they didn’t have enough time or space to pack warm clothes for winter.

“They came without clothes, without