Attachments
On 13 September 2022, major conflict escalation took place along the international state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Local authorities in Armenia reported that from 13 to 15 September, villages were affected by shelling, which made evacuation of vulnerable families impossible. However, starting from the morning of 15 September, when the conflict intensity decreased and roads became relatively safe, the officials announced that more than 2,700 people, mainly children and women, had left their communities of origin. During the subsequent days, the number of displaced people increased significantly. As of 19 September, the government announced that a total of 7,600 people were displaced. The official sex-disaggregated data is not available, however, according to the announcement of the Public Defender of Armenia, the majority of the displaced people were women; 1,500 were children, and 99 people with disabilities. Among civilians, there were four fatal casualties, one person reported missing, and seven wounded.
The escalation heavily affected three regions (marzes) of Armenia in the east and south of the country: Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Gegharkunik. It is worth noting that based on the population size of the 46 settlements affected by the escalation, around 128,000 people have been at risk. However, considering that more settlements are close to the affected areas, the population of concern is estimated to be around 160,000 people. Locations along the border were targeted around towns like Kapan, Goris, Tchambarak, Vardenis, Sisian and in Sev Lake and Jermuk, including civilian and military infrastructure.
A total of 46 communities have been affected by the conflict with 36 communities directly damaged. In addition, 192 homes, two schools, and one hospital have reported as damaged. Due to damage to roads and infrastructure, communities’ livelihood systems have been impacted. Loss of livelihoods, access constraints to their points of origin, and lack of water, electricity and gas supply hindered the return of the displaced population.