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20 September 2023
Life-saving humanitarian supplies have been “stretched beyond breaking point in Nagorno Karabakh, meaning even more people will starve unless immediate action is taken”, according to Sam Mason, CEO of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART).
Azerbaijan launched a full-scale military attack against the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh on Tuesday 19 September. Within 24 hours of the first bombing, 16 villages were evacuated; 7,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Innocent civilians have been injured and there are reports of at least 25 fatalities, including children.
Sam Mason warns: “We’ve received urgent calls today that families from rural areas are flooding into the capital, Stepanakert, in a state of panic. The influx of new arrivals places increased pressure on the population’s scarce resources and food supplies.”
“Even before the shellings began on Tuesday [19 September], residents were on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe and fainting in the streets from hunger. There is an urgent need for international powers to intervene, quickly and meaningfully. The people of Nagorno Karabakh cannot afford to wait.”
Military attacks against the civilian population come in the wake of Azerbaijan’s nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor – the only land route connecting Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh. The blockade prevents 120,000 residents from accessing essential goods and services, including fuel, food and life-saving medication.
Miscarriages have increased due to high levels of stress and a lack of access to vital medication. More than 2,000 babies are deprived of baby food. Patients with chronic diseases and disabilities are particularly at risk. So too are the elderly.
Baroness Cox, HART’s Founder President, has written to the United Nations General Assembly, urging members “to use every diplomatic and political option available to you to bring about an immediate cessation of Azerbaijan’s military aggression… There is now the chance to stop another genuine international catastrophe from happening if you all act now.”
Both Sam Mason and Baroness Cox visited Armenia last week, where they were able to observe Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor, as well as Azerbaijani military outposts built many kilometres inside the Republic of Armenia.
Images above: (1) Sam Mason at the Armenian border on 12 September 2023, where 20 humanitarian trucks are prevented by Azerbaijan from passing through the Lachin Corridor; (2) Baroness Cox with an Armenian border patrol in Syunik province on 13 September 2023, close to where Azerbaijani military outposts have been positioned inside the Republic of Armenia.
For press enquiries: sam.mason@hart-uk.org; caroline.cox@hart-uk.org