Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of violating the ceasefire – VG

“Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire starting at midnight on October 18,” Anna A. Naghdalyan, a spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Twitter on Saturday night.

The same was said in a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan soon after.

But a few hours after the humanitarian ceasefire took effect, Armenia claims that Azerbaijan has broken it.

The spokesperson for the Minister of Defense of Armenia write on Twitter that the Azerbaijanis began to fire artillery shells already four minutes after midnight, when the ceasefire came into force.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, for its part, reports that it was the Armenian forces that first broke the ceasefire. According to the ministry, the Armenians have used grenade launchers and opened artillery fire, writes the Azerbaijani news agency APA.

The conflict between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, on the one hand, and Azerbaijan, on the other, has intensified since the previous one. the ceasefire came into force last Saturday.

Both sides are now reporting several civilian casualties, and there have been reports that both primary schools and hospitals are among the buildings demolished as a result of the rocket attacks. On Saturday night, the town of Gandsja, outside the region, was also hit by a rocket attack.

– Terrible and unacceptable

– The ongoing conflict inside and outside Nagorno-Karabakh exposes children to terrible and unacceptable stress. Countless children and families have experienced extreme psychological trauma and distress for several weeks, writes the United Nations Children’s Fund, Unicef, in a statement Saturday.

Background: The road to war

– Unicef ​​strongly urges the immediate implementation of the ceasefire agreed by both parties.

The organization further writes that “children, families and civilians and the civilian facilities on which they depend must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.”

The previous ceasefire, which was negotiated by Russia, was to give the two sides the opportunity to exchange prisoners and dead in the conflict. However, it has had little effect since it took effect. In one day, both parties accused each other of breaking it.

Tens of thousands will need help

On Saturday, VG spoke with Zara Amatuni, spokesperson for the Armenian delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yerevan, Armenia.

She says the situation is confusing and they are not getting enough emergency aid as hostilities continue.

– It remains difficult for the ICRC to provide all necessary assistance due to the ongoing hostilities.

She estimates that many civilians will need emergency assistance in the future.

– At least tens of thousands of people on both sides will need emergency assistance next month. Among other things, they will need food, medicine and medical equipment, cash and help to rebuild infrastructure.

In addition, Amatuni points out that the ICRC will focus on information work aimed at the civilian population to prevent injuries and deaths as a result of unexploded ordnance from artillery strikes.

Background: Is there a solution to the conflict?

Although he already estimates that many will need help, he also says that the ICRC does not currently have a complete picture of the consequences of acts of war.

– We still cannot say anything about the seriousness of the situation for the civilian population, as we can when we have the opportunity to go to the zones ourselves. The ongoing fighting makes it difficult to assess the extent of humanitarian needs and consequences.

Condemn the attacks

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wrote in a press release on Saturday morning condemning the attacks that are contrary to international law.

The organization writes in a press release that they are reacting to extensive civil destruction resulting from the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh.

– We have seen heavy artillery attacks in large areas that have hit the civilian population hard. This type of weapon is not made for use in densely populated areas, says regional adviser Morten Tønnessen-Krokan, senior adviser to the Red Cross in Norway.

Both the Armenian Red Cross and the Azerbaijan Red Crescent provide first aid, psychosocial support, and distribute food, hygiene items and other first aid to fleeing people.

The ICRC is preparing to assist in the exchange of prisoners of war and dead soldiers from both sides, so that they can be reunited with their families. The ICRC has also delivered medical equipment to hospitals and body bags to forensic institutes, according to the press release.

According to the Red Cross, more than 4,500 people have disappeared after the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh since 1992. For almost 30 years, the ICRC has repeatedly assisted the parties in such exchanges, such as when the conflict escalated in April 2016, they write in the press release.

Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) also strongly disassociates herself from Saturday night’s attack.

– Norway is deeply concerned about the reports of civilian casualties in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Arbitrary protection of populated areas is unacceptable. We call on all parties to lay down their arms and immediately resume negotiations, he wrote. Twitter Saturday.