AP PHOTOS: Tens of thousands of Armenians flee in mass exodus from breakaway region of Azerbaijan
More than half the population of Nagorno-Karabakh has fled the breakaway region recently reclaimed by Azerbaijan, creating a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians.
The migration began Sunday. By Thursday evening, over 78,300 people — more than 65% of the population of 120,000 — had left for Armenia, and the influx continued unabated, according to Armenian officials.
The surge of families on the move could be seen on the only road to Armenia. It quickly filled with vehicles, triggering a massive traffic jam. Long lines of cars that were packed to the roof with belongings snaked slowly through the mountains.
Ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh to Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
A student reported that it took three days to get to Armenia from the regional capital of Stepanakert, a distance of about 50 miles (80 kilometers).
Azerbaijani authorities have pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians, but tens of thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh’s residents feared reprisals.
In three decades of conflict between the two countries, each has accused the other of targeted attacks, massacres and other atrocities, leaving people on both sides deeply suspicious and fearful of the other.
Nagorno-Karabakh was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory. Azerbaijan carried out a lightning offensive last week and demanded that Armenian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh disarm and the separatist government disband.
An ethnic Armenian woman from Nagorno-Karabakh sits inside an old Soviet style car as she arrives in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh stand outside their vehicle as they travel to Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh travel with their parrots as they arrive in Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh rest on the road to Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Armenia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
An ethnic Armenian girl from Nagorno-Karabakh looks out from the back of a car the road to Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Sasha, 84, a wounded ethnic Armenian man fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh, is helped by volunteers as he arrives in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Armenia, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh comfort a young woman upon arriving to Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
An Ethnic Armenian man who was injured during an explosion at a crowded gas station in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, is escorted into the National Burn Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Hayk Baghdasaryan/PHOTOLURE Photo via AP)
An Ethnic Armenian man who was injured during an explosion at a crowded gas station in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, is transported to the National Burn Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Hayk Baghdasaryan/PHOTOLURE Photo via AP)
Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure via AP)
Demonstrators march during a protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. Azerbaijan conducted a lightning military offensive In Nagorno-Karabakh, reclaiming full control of it as the result. The events in the breakaway region sparked a wave of protests in Armenia. (Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via AP)
Police officers block an entrance of a government building during a protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in Yerevan, Armenia, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Protesters gathered in the capital of Armenia, blocking streets and demanding that authorities defend Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. (Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure via AP)
Ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh travel in the bed of a dump truck to Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gaiane Yenokian)
An ethnic Armenian woman fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh lies in the bed of a truck as she arrives in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
The first group of ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh wait to be temporarily checked into a hotel in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
An ethnic Armenian fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh helps himself to a treat as he waits to be temporarily checked into a hotel in Goris, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh embrace upon their arrival in Kornidzor, in Armenia’s Syunik region, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Stepan Poghosyan/PHOTOLURE Photo via AP)