An estimated two-thirds of Nagorno-Karabakh's population has already fled the former autonomous enclave in Azerbaijan. Refugees arriving in neighbouring Armenia told DW that they fear reprisals from Azeri authorities who took back control of the region recently.
#NagornoKarabakh #NagornoKarabakhMassExodus #MassExodus #ArmeniaAzerbaijan #DW
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#NagornoKarabakh #NagornoKarabakhMassExodus #MassExodus #ArmeniaAzerbaijan #DW
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Cars stuffed with piles of belongings arriving in Armenia.
00:05 Each day the number of refugees grows, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh increasingly empty.
00:12 When Azerbaijan took control of Nagorno-Karabakh last week, most of the ethnic Armenians decided
00:18 to leave their homes.
00:20 They believed they were in danger of extermination, despite Azerbaijan's assurances of their safety.
00:28 Thousands of new arrivals reach Gores, the first city over the border.
00:33 This is the first place they can get help and shelter.
00:37 They share the hardships they went through to get here.
00:42 We spent three days in traffic.
00:45 It was a difficult trip.
00:48 It was a very difficult moment for us to leave our town and our home.
00:55 Inside of three years, I have lost two homes.
00:59 My four young children have heard so many shells and missiles.
01:03 They cried so much.
01:05 It affected them psychologically.
01:08 I just wish my kids had a safe place and went to school like other children."
01:23 The city of Gores, 50 km from the border, has become a humanitarian hub for ethnic Armenians
01:29 fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh.
01:31 Thousands of refugees have been arriving at Gores Theatre, where they are being registered,
01:35 where the first medical and psychological help is being provided by the volunteers.
01:41 International organizations have been working here non-stop, as well as the whole city,
01:45 to provide the refugees with all the necessary.
01:50 Tents in makeshift tents feed people with sandwiches, sweets and tea - things they were
01:55 deprived of for a long time.
01:58 The volunteers also say housing all the refugees will be an issue for a small country like
02:03 Armenia.
02:04 "I think the most pressing thing seems to be accommodation.
02:12 It's an overwhelming amount of people.
02:14 So the country, entirely the system, wasn't really prepared to take on this many people,
02:18 I think."
02:20 The hospitality of individual Armenians toward their fellow compatriots eases the burden.
02:26 The refugees say they feel welcomed.
02:30 Locals come here to help with whatever they can.
02:33 "Our town is supporting people, especially kids.
02:41 The locals are doing whatever they can.
02:45 They provide shelter and feed them.
02:49 Our town can do this."
02:52 Some refugees have been in Gores for a few days, sleeping in their cars, waiting to register.
02:59 Some plan to go to the capital city of Yerevan and live with their relatives.
03:04 Others say they have no one to go to.
03:07 All of them are overwhelmed by the uncertainty of their future.
03:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]