Ceasefire Agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh Crumbles as Both Sides Accuse Each Other of Violations

Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan’s borders, is at the center of the conflict. (Flickr)

After almost two weeks of direct conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the temporary ceasefire instated on October 10 seems to be hanging on with fragility. Both sides deny allegations of instigation and have each suffered civilian casualties. 

The Russian-brokered ceasefire was intended to halt all conflict in order for both sides to return war prisoners under the mediation of the Red Cross. Before the exchange took place, however, each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire. International tensions rose as these allegations sparked further conflict, despite having already left hundreds dead in the past two weeks. Fears of a proxy war involving Turkey and Russia, allies of Azerbaijan and Armenia respectively, are also increasing international tensions. 

Azerbaijani authorities reported at least nine civilians killed and 34 wounded in a bombing on a residential building in Ganja, Azerbaijan's second-largest city. Hikmet Hajiyev, adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, claimed that the attack came from an ethnic Armenian enclave in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenia denied involvement in Ganja and has decried Azerbaijani reports as “absolute lies” fabricated to pin the conflict on Armenia. In addition, Armenia reported at least two casualties in the village of Hadrut by an "Azerbaijan subversive group," which Azerbaijan similarly denied.

Armenia's foreign minister was called to Moscow on Monday for talks with officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk group. The OSCE, composed of representatives from the United States, France, and Russia, was inaugurated in 1992 to manage conflict in the South Caucasus region. France welcomed the ceasefire, but further insisted on its enforcement. "It must now be implemented and strictly observed in order to create the conditions for a permanent cessation of hostilities between the two countries," said the French Foreign Ministry. 

The ceasefire came a day after Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke of the detriment the conflict has brought upon civilians and the region itself. "It is deeply worrying that in recent days we have seen populated areas reportedly targeted and shelled with heavy weaponry in and around the conflict area," she said.

Bachelet called on both sides to "uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, abiding by the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution and avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas."

The current fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the worst seen since their 1991-1994 war, which killed 30,000 people and was similarly mediated by the OSCE with a fragile ceasefire.