In Nagorno-Karabakh, the failure of the truce makes the aid to civilians "difficult"
Residents of the town of Shosh show the damage to a house caused by the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, October 17, 2020. REUTERS / Stringer
Text by: RFI Follow
7 min
While the second truce, which entered into force on Sunday, October 18 in the morning, does not seem to be respected very much in Nagorno-Karabakh, associations are worried about the humanitarian situation around this conflict which has entered its fourth week and which has already taken place. several thousand deaths among combatants.
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All day Sunday, Azerbaijani and Armenians accused each other of
violating the humanitarian ceasefire, which came into effect at midnight that same morning
.
After a week when Azerbaijani forces advanced in what are called the "
occupied territories
", around the secessionist province, and even in Nagorno-Karabakh, they seem
unwilling to stop
,
reports our regional correspondent in Tbilisi,
Régis Genté
.
On Sunday afternoon, President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliev announced on his Twiter account
that his troops had just planted the national flag on the old stone bridge in Khoudaferine, very close to the Iranian border.
At the same time, Baku made public images of the city of Fizouli shot by special forces, just entering this locality in southern Karabakh, emptied of its inhabitants since the end of the 1988-1994 war.
Azerbaijan's Armed Forces have raised Azerbaijan's flag over the ancient Khudaferin Bridge.
Long live the people of Azerbaijan!
Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) October 18, 2020
However, a sign that a humanitarian truce has been granted, during a meeting with representatives of the International Red Cross, an Azerbaijani state commission said it was ready to transfer certain bodies of Armenian soldiers who died in combat and remained on the front line.
►
To read also:
Nagorno-Karabakh, the unrecognized powder keg of the Caucasus
"
Of the
tens of thousands of people need urgent help
'
But there, the humanitarian situation worries associations, especially among civilians.
“
There are tens of thousands of people who need urgent help
,” explains Martin Schüepp, Red Cross regional director for Europe and Asia.
The humanitarian needs of these populations are increasing rapidly
: they need medical assistance and basic necessities.
In the coming weeks, we plan to help these tens of thousands of people
.
"
“
Food is on the way, but also blankets.
But of course, with the Covid-19 epidemic, hygiene is also an issue.
We are providing soap, disinfectant and cleaning products to affected populations,
he continues.
In many places, we also provide financial assistance to help people buy basic items, if businesses are still open where they are.
"
"Tens of thousands of civilians are in need" of urgent humanitarian aid in Nagorno-Karabakh
RFI
While the fighting continues, the associations continue to discuss with the two parties to obtain this promised truce and to be able to come to the aid of the civilian populations on the spot, as well as to recover "
the bodies of the soldiers fallen in the combat
", according to Martin Schüepp.
We are in a bilateral dialogue on various humanitarian issues, such as helping the wounded or recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers.
But the information we receive also shows that hostilities continue.
This of course makes it difficult to set up humanitarian missions, because the security necessary for the exercise of these activities is not guaranteed.
The areas most difficult to access are those where the fighting has been most intense, along the front line.
We have been able to help and we continue to help those who are in the most populous cities, like Stepanakert or Barda.
We provide support where we can.
The Red Cross "maintains dialogue" with the parties in Nagorno-Karabakh, despite continuing fighting, explains Martin Schüepp
RFI
►
To read also: Crises in the former USSR: the limits of Russian influence
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