Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians agree to cease fire

Local Armenian authorities on Wednesday accepted a cease-fire plan put forward by local Russian peacekeeping forces the day violence broke out. Azerbaijan also agreed to the arrangement. Azerbaijan on Tuesday launched a military “anti-terrorist” operation to retake control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to the country’s defense ministry. Armenian state news on Tuesday said artillery and missile strikes killed dozens of people and injured hundreds of others. The territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but was partially controlled by ethnic Armenians. Under the agreement, ethnic Armenian forces in the region will disband and talks will begin Thursday to reintegrate the area into Azerbaijan.

Why is this region disputed? Some ethnic Armenians believe the area is their ancestral homeland. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought at least two wars over the territory since the 1990s, most recently for six weeks in 2020. Russia in 2020 brokered a fragile ceasefire and sent Russian peacekeepers to monitor the area. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Onize Ohikere’s report in The World and Everything in It about how conflict in the region leaves Christians hungry.