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September 2023 Azerbaijani offensive and exodus

A rapid Azerbaijani military offensive led to the dissolution of Artsakh's defence forces and the flight of the great majority of the region's ethnic Armenian population.

What happened

On 22 February 2023, the International Court of Justice, by 13 votes to 2, ordered Azerbaijan to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor, the road connecting an estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.[1]

On 19-20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, stating its goal as the disarmament and surrender of Artsakh's defence forces; a ceasefire was reached on 20 September 2023, under which the Artsakh Defence Army was disbanded.[2]

On 17 November 2023, the ICJ ordered Azerbaijan to ensure that persons who left Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and wish to return can do so safely, that those remaining can leave safely, and that those who stay are free from force or intimidation that might cause them to flee.[3]

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians (UNHCR recorded 115,183 arrivals in Armenia by early October 2023) fled Nagorno-Karabakh; a UN mission that visited in early October 2023, the first in three decades, was told that as few as 50 to around 1,000 ethnic Armenians might remain.[4]

On 28 September 2023, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree stating that all Republic of Artsakh state institutions would dissolve by 1 January 2024; in December 2023, his office described the purported decree as not an official document, and the Republic of Artsakh has continued to operate as a government-in-exile based in Yerevan, Armenia.[5]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: On 22 February 2023, the International Court of Justice, by 13 votes to 2, ordered Azerbaijan to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor, the road connecting an estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, and unanimously rejected an Azerbaijani counterclaim concerning alleged Armenian mine-laying.

    • International Court of Justice, ICJ Order of 22 February 2023: Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), provisional measures (International Court of Justice) link, Order text. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: On 19-20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, stating its goal as the disarmament and surrender of Artsakh's defence forces and the withdrawal of ethnic Armenian soldiers; a ceasefire ending the offensive was reached on 20 September 2023, under which the Artsakh Defence Army was disbanded.

  3. 3.

    Claim: On 17 November 2023, the International Court of Justice, by 13 votes to 2 on each measure, ordered Azerbaijan to ensure that persons who left Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and wish to return can do so safely, that those remaining can leave safely, and that those who stay are free from force or intimidation that might cause them to flee; the Court also ordered Azerbaijan to protect civil-status and property records concerning affected persons and to report on its compliance within eight weeks.

    • International Court of Justice, ICJ Order of 17 November 2023: Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), provisional measures (International Court of Justice) link, Order text. Source record
  4. 4.

    Claim: Following the September 2023 offensive, more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians (UNHCR recorded 115,183 arrivals in Armenia by early October 2023) fled Nagorno-Karabakh, out of a pre-exodus population estimated by the ICJ at around 120,000; a UN mission that visited the region in early October 2023, the first in three decades, was told that as few as 50 to around 1,000 ethnic Armenians might remain.

    • UN Karabakh mission told "sudden" exodus means as few as 50 ethnic Armenians may remain (UN News) link, Exodus and remaining-population figures section. Source record
  5. 5.

    Claim: On 28 September 2023, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree stating that all Republic of Artsakh state institutions would dissolve by 1 January 2024; in December 2023, Shahramanyan's office described the purported decree as not an official document ("empty paper"), and the Republic of Artsakh has continued to operate as a government-in-exile based in Yerevan, Armenia, meaning its institutional status after 2023 is disputed rather than settled.

    • Nagorno-Karabakh Separatist Leader Says Dissolution Decree Not Valid (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) link, Dissolution dispute section. Source record

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