Karabakh: the return of the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Very violent fighting broke out this Sunday in the region of Nagorno Karabakh, better known as Nagorno-Karabakh, a secessionist region of Azerbaijan, populated mainly by Armenians and supported by Armenia.

The two camps accuse each other of having launched hostilities.

“Deaths and injuries have been reported among civilians and soldiers,” the Azerbaijani presidency said, while the Karabakh public ombudsperson said there were “civilian casualties” among the population of the region.

A woman and a child have died, for his part reported the press secretary of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

/The Parisian  

Two Azerbaijani helicopters were shot down, the ministry said earlier.

Azerbaijan for its part claimed to have launched a "counter-offensive" after an attack by the separatists, and reported only one downed machine.

Martial law and general mobilization on the Armenian side

“The Azerbaijani army is fighting today on its territory, defends its territorial integrity, delivers devastating blows to the enemy.

Our cause is just and we will win, ”Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev promised in a television speech.

"I have decreed martial law and general mobilization for those over 18," Karabakh leader Araïk Aroutiounian said during an extraordinary session of the local parliament, according to the presidency.

“Martial law and general mobilization are decreed in Armenia.

I urge all personnel to report to military stations, ”Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Facebook.

Turkey and Russia are busy

"We severely condemn Armenia's attack on Azerbaijan", reacted the spokesperson for the Turkish presidency on Twitter, assuring Azerbaijan of "Turkey's full support".

Russia, which supports Armenia, called for a "ceasefire".

"We call on the parties to immediately cease fire and begin negotiations in order to stabilize the situation," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that "intense bombardments are occurring along the line of contact of two sides ".

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France, for its part, said it was "deeply concerned by the large-scale clashes underway in Nagorno-Karabakh", calling on the belligerents to "immediately cease hostilities and resume dialogue".

30,000 dead in the 1990s

Nagorno Karabakh was the scene of a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.

Since then, the Azerbaijani authorities have wanted to regain control, by force if necessary, while peace talks have been deadlocked for many years.

There are regular fights between separatists and Azerbaijanis, as well as Yerevan and Baku.

In 2016, serious armed clashes almost degenerated into war in Karabakh, and fighting also pitted Armenians and Azerbaijanis on their border in July 2020.