The war in Nagorno-Karabakh is an ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an area in the South Caucasus that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians.
The conflict began in the 1980s, but flared up again in September 2020 and escalated quickly into a full-scale war, with heavy artillery and missile strikes causing significant damage and civilian casualties.
The war has been characterized by indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, targeting of non-combatants and infrastructures and the use of banned weapons including cluster bombs, which have caused heavy human and material losses. The fighting caused tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, and many more have been trapped by the fighting.
A number of ceasefire agreements have been brokered, but none have been able to hold for long. Russia, the United States, and France have all played a role in trying to broker a peace deal, but so far, a lasting resolution to the conflict has not been found. The international community, including the United Nations, has called for an immediate end to the hostilities and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The war ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal on November 10, 2020. Under the agreement, Armenia agreed to cede control of several key areas in and around Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region to monitor the ceasefire.
The peace deal was met with protests and political turmoil in Armenia, where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was forced to resign. It also led to the displacement of thousands of ethnic Armenians from the region, who have been unable to return to their homes due to the ceasefire agreement.
Azerbaijan has reported that it has taken control of several previously Armenian-held territories, including the cities of Shusha, Lachin, and Kelbajar. However, there have been reports of ceasefire violations and sporadic clashes in the region, raising concerns about the stability of the peace deal.
The United Nations and other international organizations have called for the protection of civilians and for the safe and dignified return of displaced persons, as well as the respect of human rights in the region. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains tense, and the international community is closely monitoring the implementation of the peace deal.