ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN Lachin corridor, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh worsens

The blockade of the only pass connecting the region with Armenia began 210 days ago and supplies and services are in short supply. Azerbaijan continues to officially affirm that the corridor is open, as ordered by the court in The Hague, although in practice only a few Red Cross ambulances that transport the most seriously ill to Armenia can pass through.

Yerevan () – After 210 days of blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan – which so far no negotiation has been able to resolve – the Armenian inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh are increasingly suffering from a lack of supplies and services. The Azerbaijanis restored the gas supply for only a few hours and without prior notice, but the fuel did not reach the homes, because while the Artsakhgas company tried to restart the plants, they closed the gas pipeline again without giving explanations, in a game of tug of war that even seems to take forms of sadism.

There has been no gas for three months and since the beginning of the year there has been no electricity either. Local sources are used, but it only suffices for a few hours a day. The adviser to the Minister of State of Karabakh-Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, explained on Facebook that the Azerbaijanis cannot be contacted regarding the issue of supply: “The main purpose of limited reopenings may be a strategy to relieve pressure from abroad for brief periods, but rather I think they serve to plunge the local population into total disorientation, making people want to leave their country”.

“The days that seem to start with some hope always end with great disappointment and a sense of frustration,” confirms the EU’s special representative in the area, Estonian Toivo Klaar. The Europeans had asked that at least the supply of energy without interruption be guaranteed, as well as the free movement of people and goods through the Lachín corridor.

On the other hand, there is a lack of food products as well as personal hygiene and cleaning items, and driving on the roads continues to be a challenge. In 8 months of blockade, humanitarian emergencies accumulate and the life of Armenians in Artsakh worsens day by day. Since 25 days ago, after the Azerbaijanis raised their flag on the Armenian side of the Khakari bridge, humanitarian aid shipments have also been prevented from passing through.

As Anat Tonyan, a resident of the village of Noragjukh, in Askeran province, recounts, “there is nothing left to eat, not even fruit; we turn on the light for one hour a day, I don’t know how we are going to do it.” There is no seed oil or sugar, in the stores you can find at most a little rice, oatmeal and a few packets of noodles. Not to mention sweets, to the despair of the children; “We try to grow some cucumbers and tomatoes in the garden,” says Anat.

The lack of fuel makes it almost impossible to move, even within the territory, crowding the few buses that run with a variable itinerary and at very irregular hours. The local government has also decided to limit public transport as much as possible and organized timetables that must be carefully observed; in some villages the bus runs only every three or four days.

Another inhabitant of the region, Ashken Grigoryan, explains that from his village of Machkalashen he can only go to the capital Stepanakert twice a week, but “it’s not sure that I can get on the bus either, and then you have to travel two or three hours supported by one leg.” Azerbaijan still officially claims that the corridor is open, as ordered by the court in The Hague, but in reality only some Red Cross ambulances taking the most seriously ill to Armenia can pass through.

According to data from the Artsakh administration, around 11,000 people have lost their jobs and livelihoods as a result of the blockade, and Stepanakert’s economy has suffered more than $400 million in damage and is on the brink of collapse.

Photo: Flickr / david stanley