Nagorno-Karabakh: residents of Stepanakert tell of their flight to Armenia

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Refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Dilijan, about 120 km from Yerevan, October 8, 2020. AFP

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5 mins

It is a humanitarian drama.

The displaced persons and refugees from the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh are more and more numerous.

90% are women and children most often welcomed in Armenia, near the border but also more than 300 kilometers of mountainous roads, in Yerevan.

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With our special correspondent in Yerevan,  

Anissa El Jabri

Trees on small hills, stone stairs, terraced gardens.

We are here in Kond, the oldest district of Yerevan.

The door of a three-story building opens in an alley.

The owner lives on the second floor, everything else, including the ground floor, is dedicated to welcoming six families from Stepanakert: 20 people.

From 4 month old baby to 90 year old grandfather.

From the first days of the conflict, Jasmine Revontyan, Armenian refugee from Azerbaijan, years ago already, volunteered for the reception: “ 

You know, we have been there before, it's a pain for everyone.

It's not just the cause or fate of one person.

Each of our sons who fight on the front lines, whether we know him or not, is our child.

Each person forced to flee from Stepanakert is one of us, a part of us. 

"

For those who had to leave, no choice, you have to take the first car, the first convoy that passes.

Children especially, the first to be protected.

Naira Mesropian remembers: “

 One day before we adults left, volunteers took the children to Yerevan. It was not us who chose to come here.  

"

And when asked what she would have done if she had had the choice, she replies: " 

When we arrived here I quickly said to myself that I was going to return to Nagorno-Karabakh in a quieter village near the border where my son lives.

I'm still thinking of going back and will even go to Stepanakert if the situation improves a bit. 

"

► See also: Nagorno-Karabakh: new strikes on Stepanakert and Armenian response in Azerbaijan

The neighbors of this family who live in the center of Stepanakert remained holed up in a cellar.

According to the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, one inhabitant in two has now left the territory.

Nagorno-Karabakh is populated by around 140,000 inhabitants, 99% of whom are Armenians.

Local authorities and Armenia accuse Azerbaijan, since the resumption of hostilities on September 27, of targeting civilians, especially in Stepanakert, the capital, which is usually populated by 50,000 people.

The city is the target of repeated rocket fire - more particularly since Friday, October 2 -, having forced the majority of the population to flee and those who remained to hide in the caves.

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