Blackouts to food shortage: How Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh triggered a humanitarian crisis

In mid-December 2022, a group of Azerbaijani activists blocked the Lachin Corridor- the only link connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

More than a month on, the blockade continues. Apart from escalating tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Karabakh.

The disputed enclave’s 120,000 people have been facing food and medicine shortages as the blockade threatens supplies from Armenia.

Former Soviet nations Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a bloody war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict, which international observers say was triggered by Azerbaijan, saw Armenia cede most of the territories it held since the 1990s to Baku.

However, full-scale fighting between the South Caucasus neighbours stopped after a Moscow-brokered peace deal in November 2020. As part of the agreement, Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers in the region.

The peacekeepers are tasked with overseeing the Lachin corridor.

What’s happening in Karabakh

Azerbaijani “eco-activists” say that Armenians are carrying out illegal mining in the disputed enclave.

Armenia has accused the Azerbaijani government of “orchestrating” the demonstrations while the latter has accused Yerevan of using the Lachin corridor to transport land mines into Nagorno-Karabakh.

Meanwhile, food reserves continue to run low in Karabakh which is called Artsakh by Armenians.

The local government of the Armenian-populated Karabakh has rolled out food stamps that allow only limited purchases of rice, sugar and cooking oil.

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The International Red Cross has been helping to carry critical patients to Armenia as hospitals run out of essential drugs.

The International Committee of the Red Cross transported 5 more patients from #Artsakh to #Armenia.

In total, since #Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin corridor, the Red Cross has transported 31 patients to Armenia. #ArtsakhBlockade pic.twitter.com/4z2CHTZq7D

— David Galstyan (@Aeternum7) January 15, 2023

Local Armenian authorities have called for an airlift for critical supplies but Azerbaijan hasn’t permitted the region’s airport to operate, AP reported.

Gas supply cut to the region by Azerbaijan has worsened the situation amid battling harsh winters. According to reports, the temperature in parts of the enclave has dipped to -5C. The gas supply cut has resulted in power outages across the enclave forcing the closure of schools and businesses.

#ArtsakhBlockade, day 40

The blockade of Artsakh has reached its critical point, as 120,000 people live in unbearable humanitarian conditions without essential necessities, such as electricity and gas. #Azerbaijan continues to violate fundamental human rights of #Artsakh people. pic.twitter.com/Nz4da8ZSfm

— Artsakh / Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Ombudsman (@ArtsakhOmbuds) January 20, 2023

Armenia says that Azerbaijan has been trying to make the daily lives of Armenians difficult in a bid to force them into fleeing Karabakh.

Azerbaijan denies the accusations.

Distracted by Ukraine, Russia losing its influence in Caucasus

The continued blockade is also a reflection of the weakening Russian influence in the region. Armenia has time and again signaled its growing frustration with Moscow over Nagorno-Karabakh.

During a bilateral meeting, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan told Russian president Vladimir Putin that Russian peacekeepers are no longer in control of the Lachin corridor.

Distracted by the Ukraine war, Russia has been playing a limited role in Karabakh. It even shifted some of its peacekeepers from the enclave to Ukraine in September 2022. Notably, Azerbaijan launched fresh attacks on Armenia amid the Russian troop drawdown.

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Already caught in a long-drawn war, Moscow seems to be unwilling to confront Baku.

It’s also averse to severing ties with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey. Both have enjoyed more or less good relations with Russia and an increasingly isolated Moscow is inclined to avoid any run-ins with few of the nations with which it still enjoys cordial relations.

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