Before fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh, Natalie Musayelian, 13, hastily picked up a handful of stones, a branch, a few berries, and hid them in a small box of chocolates with the key to her house located in Martouni, in the former separatist enclave. Since finding refuge in Armenia with her grandmother and aunt, the teenager hugs her treasures every morning, vestiges of her previous life, and breathes them in full. “It reminds me of home. Artsakh [nom arménien du Haut-Karabakh] I miss it so much! »
More than 100,000 Armenians – almost the entire population – fled Nagorno-Karabakh following the Azerbaijani offensive on September 19, which led to the fall of the self-proclaimed Republic and the recapture of the territory by Baku after thirty years of conflict.
Two months later, the shock of their hasty departure is still alive, but everyone is trying to rebuild their lives in Armenia. “The first phase of survival has passed, observes Aneta Kachotian, psychologist, responsible for monitoring around thirty families. They have lost everything and now have to start from scratch. This plunges them into such great stress that many feel “frozen”, unable to plan ahead. »
Also listen Nagorno-Karabakh: how the Armenians lost the enclave after decades of war
First challenge: finding accommodation. Many refugees are still moving around the country, looking for a place to settle. Natalie Musayelian’s family ended up finding a modest rental apartment for 40,000 drams (91 euros) in Jermouk, a famous spa resort popular with Russians and located near the border with Azerbaijan. “It was very difficult to find elsewhere, everything is so expensive! Here, it’s more affordable,” explains Varsik, the aunt. And for good reason: since it was bombed by the Azerbaijanis in September 2022, this city has been deserted. Around the body of water, where thousands of tourists usually flock during this season, we can barely hear anything other than the cries of ducks and the wind in the trees.
When the Musayelian family announced to their friends that they were moving here, they panicked: “But you’re not afraid?” » Most refugees refused to be relocated to the border areas, which have become the deadliest in the last three years. “They say they are tired of war, explains Vardan Sargsyan, the deputy mayor of Jermouk. We too are worried: the Azerbaijanis are five kilometers away, on the mountains, and they are fortifying their positions. » The vast majority of new arrivals have already left for areas considered calmer.
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