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Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan has continued overnight until Monday, with artillery fire from both sides, according to the countries’ Defense Ministry.
The protracted conflict in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region claimed at least 23 lives over the weekend, as the situation worsened. During the night, another 15 separatist militants were killed, according to the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities.
Relations between the two countries have become strained since they became independent in connection with the fall of the Soviet Union. During the years around 1990, a war was fought over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is located in Azerbaijan but has a majority Armenian population.
Since a ceasefire in 1994, Armenian-backed separatists have effectively been in control of the area. France, Russia and the United States created the so-called “Minsk group” and tried to mediate the conflict, but recent talks failed in 2010.
Sunday’s battles are the longest since 2016. Both sides blame each other for the escalation, while the outside world calls for a ceasefire.
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