At least 200 people have been killed in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s military operation and more than 400 injured, the Armenian ombudsman for human rights in the enclave announced today.

The military operation ended today, 24 hours after it began, with the surrender of the separatists and the return of the region to Baku’s control.

Ghegam Stepanyan also said that more than 10,000 people, including many women, children and the elderly, were displaced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh by the conflict.

These people “do not have enough food, nor medicine or basic items for their personal hygiene”, he added, speaking of a “disaster”.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that negotiations on the enclave’s future would be conducted “with the mediation” of Russian forces deployed in the region. This peacekeeping force, which has been in the region since the end of the 2020 war, has assured that the ceasefire is being observed. Two Russian soldiers, however, were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in came under fire, the Russian Defense Ministry said, without specifying who was responsible for the attack.

The armistice agreement provides for the withdrawal of “of the units and soldiers of the armed forces of Armenia” remaining in the enclave as well as “the disbandment and complete disarmament” of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army groups.

The separatists also agreed to start talks tomorrow, in the Azeri city of Yevlakh, on the “reintegration” of the enclave into Azerbaijan.

Hikmet Hajiyev, an adviser to the Azeri president, said Baku’s goal is “the peaceful reintegration of Karabakh Armenians” and the “normalization” of relations with Armenia.

Azerbaijan’s victory, however, raises fears of a mass exodus of the 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. Footage broadcast by local media shows a large crowd gathered at the airport in Stepanakert, the enclave’s capital. The airport is controlled by Russian forces.

In neighboring Armenia, clashes broke out tonight between police and protesters outside the government headquarters in Yerevan, as reported by an AFP journalist. The gathered threw stones and bottles at the police, who proceeded to make arrests. Security forces also used stun grenades and warned they would take “special measures” if order was not restored.

The French president is asking for guarantees

French President Emmanuel Macron asked his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev to “give guarantees for the rights and security of the people of Karabakh”.

In a telephone conversation between the two leaders, Macron expressed his displeasure “at the choice made by Azerbaijan to resort to violence yesterday (Tuesday), at the risk of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and undermining the efforts to achieve a just and sustainable peace,” Eliseh sources said.