The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a gruelling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people — more than 80 per cent of the residents — after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation.
Gegham Stepanyan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman, said that the bus that drove into Armenia carried 15 passengers with serious illnesses and mobility problems. He issued a call to share information about any other residents who want to leave but have trouble doing so.
In a 24-hour military campaign that began on September 19, the Azerbaijani army routed the region’s undermanned and undergunned Armenian forces, forcing them to capitulate, and the separatist authorities agreed to dissolve their government by the year’s end.
While Baku has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, the bulk of them have hastily fled the region, fearing reprisals or losing the freedom to use their language and to practice their religion and cultural customs.
