Shell-shocked Armenians return to Nagorno-Karabakh after peace deal

  • 11/16/2020
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STEPANAKERT, Azerbaijan (Reuters) - Armenian refugees who fled a six-week war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces have begun to return home to Nagorno-Karabakh to try to rebuild their shattered lives after Russia last week brokered a peace deal over the enclave.At least two convoys of buses carrying residents arrived in Stepanakert, the capital of the mountainous area, from neighbouring Armenia over the weekend. Under the terms of the agreement, control over the enclave’s main city Stepanakert, in territory internationally recognised as Azerbaijan, will stay with ethnic Armenians despite them being forced to cede other land to a victorious Azerbaijan. On Monday, refugees lined up in the centre of Stepanakert, which had been deserted for weeks beforehand, to collect bags of humanitarian aid which included staples such as canned food and pasta. Several men handed out rolled-up pieces of plastic which the returnees could use to fix broken windows in their homes Some said they had come back with a heavy heart. “I have seen the third war already here. In 1992 and 2016 I did not leave the city for even a minute. But this time it was awful,” said a middle-aged woman who declined to give her name. The woman, who said she had returned on Sunday, said she had left for the Armenian border town of Sisian after the first week of fighting in early October when she had been forced to hide from shelling in a bomb shelter. While Stepanakert may remain in ethnic Armenian hands after the deal, Shusha, the second largest town in Nagorno-Karabakh, is now controlled by Azerbaijan after fierce fighting.

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