Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Two groups of people fought over land.

Long ago, things were not fair. One group felt they were treated badly. They wanted to be part of a different land.

This led to a big fight. Many people had to leave their homes. It was a very sad time for everyone.

Later, there was a new war. This war changed who controlled the land. Many people had to move again.

Now, leaders are working on peace. They want to help people live well.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over a place called Nagorno-Karabakh.

For a long time, the people living there felt treated unfairly. During the Soviet period, leaders in Azerbaijan tried to change the area. They wanted more Azerbaijanis to live there. They also made it hard for Armenians to keep their culture.

In 1988, people in the region voted to join Armenia. This led to violence and a large war in the 1990s. Armenia and a group called Artsakh won that war. Many people had to leave their homes during this time.

Things stayed mostly quiet for many years. But in 2020, a second war broke out. Azerbaijan won this war and took back much of the land.

In 2023, Azerbaijan took full control of the whole region. This caused the Armenian people living there to leave. In 2025, leaders from both sides met in Washington D.C. They signed a peace agreement. They want to fix relations and open new paths for travel.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region that has been at the center of a long conflict. This struggle involves two countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The area is a piece of land with a very complicated history. For many years, different groups of people lived there. Most of the people were ethnic Armenians until 2023. However, the surrounding areas were mostly inhabited by Azerbaijanis. The international community recognized the land as part of Azerbaijan. Yet, a group called the Republic of Artsakh controlled much of it.

During the Soviet period, many hard things happened in the region. Leaders in Azerbaijan used different ways to change who lived there. They encouraged Azerbaijanis to move into the area. At the same time, they made it difficult for Armenians to stay. They even tried to stop people from teaching Armenian history. Some Armenians were even punished for supporting their own culture. For example, people were questioned for listening to certain football matches on the radio. These actions were meant to change the identity of the region.

In 1988, the situation changed when a vote was held. People in the region held a referendum to join Soviet Armenia. This was based on laws about self-determination. This vote led to violence and a large war in the early 1990s. This war happened after the Soviet Union broke apart. The forces from Armenia and Artsakh won this first big war. As a result, they controlled the region and the areas around it. Many people were forced to leave their homes during these fighting years.

After the first war, there was a ceasefire in 1994. This agreement was signed in a place called Bishkek. For about twenty years, things were mostly quiet and stable. However, this peace did not last forever. In 2016, there was a short period of fighting called an escalation. Later, a much larger war broke out in late 2020. This second war was very serious and caused many casualties. Azerbaijan won this war and took back much of the land.

Recent years have brought even more big changes to the land. Between 2022 and 2023, Azerbaijan used a blockade to isolate the region. This made it very hard for people to get what they needed. In September 2023, a large military offensive took place. This led to the entire Armenian population leaving the region. The government of Artsakh was also dissolved. In August 2025, leaders met in Washington D.C. to sign a peace agreement. They hope to open new paths for travel and fix their relations.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a long-standing territorial and ethnic dispute. It involves the nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The center of the struggle is the Nagorno-Karabakh region. This area is located in the South Caucasus. For much of its recent history, the region was inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians. However, the international community recognizes the land as part of Azerbaijan. A breakaway group called the Republic of Artsakh controlled much of the territory for many years. This conflict has caused massive shifts in where people live.

The roots of the conflict involve complex political and demographic shifts. During the Soviet period, the region was known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, or NKAO. This was an administrative unit within the Soviet Azerbaijan republic. Over time, Azerbaijani authorities implemented policies to change the region's demographics. They encouraged Azerbaijanis to move into the NKAO. At the same time, they pressured Armenians to leave. This included suppressing Armenian culture and identity. For example, teaching Armenian history in the region was banned. Some Armenians even faced trouble for supporting Armenian football clubs.

Demographic data shows how these policies changed the population. In the 1920s, Armenians made up about 94.4% of the population. By 1979, that number had fallen to 76%. During this same time, the Azerbaijani population grew from 5.6% to 24%. Former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev later admitted to supporting these demographic changes. He described using economic measures to increase the Azerbaijani presence. This included opening factories and moving workers into the region. These actions created deep tension between the two ethnic groups.

The modern conflict escalated during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1988, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum. They used self-determination laws to vote for reunification with Soviet Armenia. This move, known as the Karabakh Movement, led to violence. Pogroms were committed against Armenians in Azerbaijan. This eventually escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s. The forces of Armenia and Artsakh won this first major war. They gained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

A ceasefire was signed in 1994 in Bishkek. This agreement brought about two decades of relative stability. However, tensions rose again in the 2010s. A four-day escalation occurred in April 2016. This event caused hundreds of casualties but changed little on the ground. The most significant change came in late 2020. The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out during this time. This war resulted in thousands of casualties. It ended with a tripartite ceasefire agreement. Under this deal, Azerbaijan captured one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Following the 2020 war, the situation grew even more difficult for the Armenian population. Between 2022 and 2023, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on the region. They used a military checkpoint to isolate the area. This ten-month siege cut off civilian infrastructure and food supplies. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive. This offensive led to the dissolution of the Artsakh government. The entire ethnic Armenian population was expelled from the territory. Azerbaijan then fully incorporated the region into its own borders.

Efforts to reach a lasting peace continue today. In August 2025, leaders met in Washington D.C. for a US-brokered agreement. This agreement aims to normalize relations and reopen transport routes. However, several major obstacles remain. Azerbaijan has denied the right of return for displaced Armenians. There are also disputes regarding detained individuals. Additionally, Azerbaijan demands an extraterritorial transit corridor. They also ask Armenia to amend its constitution and national symbols. These issues make a final settlement very complex.