The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has said that the 120,000 Armenians living there will leave for Armenia as they do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan and fear ethnic cleansing
The announcement comes after a recent ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which ended a six-week war that resulted in heavy losses for both sides.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan regained control of large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, which it had lost to Armenian forces in the 1990s.
The Armenian leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh has said that it has no choice but to evacuate the region, as it cannot guarantee the safety of the Armenian population under Azerbaijani rule.
The leadership has also accused Azerbaijan of committing war crimes during the recent conflict.
The evacuation of Nagorno-Karabakh is a major humanitarian crisis.
It is unclear where the 120,000 Armenians will go, or how they will be supported.
Armenia has already taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from the war, and the country is struggling to cope with the influx of people.
The international community has called on Azerbaijan to guarantee the safety of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, it is unclear whether Azerbaijan will comply with these calls.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is a reminder of the fragility of peace in the Caucasus region.
The international community must continue to work to resolve the conflict peacefully and to protect the rights of all people in the region.
