The breakaway government in the Nagorno-Karabakh region reported it will disband by January 1st, 2024. The self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh is situated inside the UN-recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The territory’s unnoticed chief gave a declaration yesterday, officially ending over thirty years of separatist rule from ethnic Armenians in the Republic of Artsakh.
The declaration comes approximately seven days after Azerbaijan started a 24-hour military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and soon after assumed full command over the ethnic Armenian-majority enclave. The 24-hour miliary operation is known as the “2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh”, you can read more about the 2023 offensive here.
A cease-fire deal was made and the Artsakh Defence Army has been disbanded. More than 70,500 ethnic Armenian individuals, out of an expected populace of 120,000, have fled to neighboring Armenia through a single road known as the Lachin corridor. Before the cease-fire deal, Azerbaijan had blocked the route for around nine months (since December 2022). The almost year long block hindered the local population from fleeing, as well as prevented humanitarian aid.
Large numbers of those leaving the enclave say they fear ethnic cleansing, while Azerbaijan authorities claim they would guarantee protections for ethnic Armenians who choose to stay.
The Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis is still ongoing.