Today's Zaman
Sunday , 27 February 2011
AMANDA PAUL
One of the most tragic consequences of conflict is the terrible impact it has on the lives of ordinary people. The 1988-1993 conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Azerbaijani province of Nagorno-Karabakh had devastating consequences for the populations of both countries.
While the conflict saw fewer casualties than other comparable wars, such as Bosnia, the internally displaced person (IDP) and refugee crisis was one of the most devastating in the world. The expulsion of civilians was one of the most awful consequences of the war, with Azerbaijanis being particularly affected.
Last week the international human rights watchdog Human Rights Without Frontiers issued a new report titled “Azerbaijan and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).” According to the United Nations, there are almost 600,000 IDPs in Azerbaijan out of a population of around 8.5 million. As well as the IDPs, more than 200,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis came to Azerbaijan from Armenia as refugees during the conflict, while most ethnic Armenians, numbering some 300,000, left Baku and other parts of Azerbaijan. The report states that at 7 percent of the population, the number of IDPs in Azerbaijan is among the highest per capita in the world, the second highest in the region of Europe and Central Asia after Cyprus, and the highest in the South Caucasus region.
Most of the IDPs come from the seven Azerbaijani provinces that surround Karabakh, which continues to be under Armenian occupation and will remain so until a solution is found. Armenia views these provinces as a buffer zone between Karabakh and government-controlled Azerbaijan. Indeed whole towns were forced to flee, including the town of Khojaly, which witnessed one of the worst atrocities of the war when, on Feb. 25-26 1992, the entire Azerbaijani population there was forced to run from invading Armenian forces. The town was destroyed and some 600 people were killed, including women and children. Other tragic events throughout the war included the killings in Sumgait in 1988 when around 40 Armenians died. Unfortunately these events were mainly ignored by the international community, which was preoccupied by events unfolding in the Western Balkans at the same time.
Azerbaijan, a newly independent state emerging from a bloody war, was not equipped to deal with almost 1 million IDPs and refugees, with most leaving their homes with little more than the clothes on their back. Many had to live in tent villages, while others took shelter in schools, trains and other unsuitable places. Nearly 20 years later these IDPs are still unable to return to their homes. As stated in the European Parliament’s May 2010 Resolution on the South Caucasus, “Hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs who fled their homes during or in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh war remain displaced and denied their rights, including the right to return, property rights and the right to personal security.” The parliament called on all parties “to unambiguously and unconditionally recognize these rights, the need for their prompt realization and for a prompt solution to this problem that respects the principles of international law” and demanded, in this regard, “the withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, accompanied by the deployment of international forces to be organized with respect of the UN Charter in order to provide the necessary security guarantees in a period of transition, which will ensure the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and allow the displaced persons to return to their homes and further conflicts caused by homelessness to be prevented.” It also urged the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities and leaders of relevant communities “to demonstrate their commitment to the creation of peaceful inter-ethnic relations through practical preparations for the return of displaced persons.” Until now this has yet to take place as the two leaderships have failed to agree on a peace agreement.
Over the last few years, Azerbaijan has taken steps to align its national legislation with international standards for IDP protection and to gradually resettle IDPs to newly constructed collective housing sites and centers. However, it has been a slow process, and IDPs have become increasingly frustrated. Seeing oil and gas dollars being used to purchase carousels from France and bushes and trees from Italy, it is little wonder they feel disgruntled. However, some 10 days ago Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, announced that new homes would be built for those IDPs still living in university dormitories.
The IDPs want to go home. However, with no sign of a solution in sight it is unlikely they will be going anywhere any time soon. And even if there were a solution, the estimated levels of destruction may be so high that it would probably take months if not years of reconstruction for their home villages to be habitable again. Indeed an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report, detailing the conditions in the occupied territories following a fact-finding mission last October is due to be released soon. It should make for interesting reading.
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