This report provides an update on the humanitarian impact of the 19 September military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, with the majority of people having fled to Armenia, and highlights the expected scope and scale of the crisis. The report also provides a contextual overview and the aggravating factors that could further affect the population.

Since 12 December 2022, Azerbaijani ‘eco-activists’ have blocked the Lachin corridor which connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and is crucial for the transportation of essential goods to ethnic Armenian people residing in the region. It is affecting over 120,000 Armenian people, including 30,000 children, 20,000 older people, and about 9,000 people with disabilities living in Nagorno-Karabakh.

This report presents a comprehensive review of the available primary and secondary data on areas in Azerbaijan affected by the recent Nagorno-Karabakh region as at 15 December. It provides a summary of available information on priority geographic areas and sectors for response, and the main vulnerable groups within the affected population in need of support. 

Conflict over the area between Azerbaijan and Armenia and ethnic Armenian forces based in Nagorno-Karabakh has been ongoing for decades. For more than six weeks, fighting and displacement took place in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas, resulting in the deaths of more than 140 civilians and thousands of combatants, widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, and disruption to services.

On 27 September, heavy fighting broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces in and around the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region is recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is de-facto controlled by an ethnic Armenian administration. Azerbaijan is calling for Armenia’s withdrawal from the region, while Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities claim they are defending themselves from attack.