GORIS, Armenia: Armenia said Wednesday that more than a third of Nagorno-Karabakh's population has fled the enclave since Azerbaijan crushed the rebels' decades-long fight for an independent state last week.
Yerevan's attempts to absorb the sea of homeless and hungry ethnic Armenians come with officials still trying to identify the whereabouts of more than 100 people reported missing in a fuel depot blast Monday that claimed 68 lives.
The fireball erupted as refugees from the rebel enclave of Azerbaijan were stocking up on fuel for the long drive along the lone mountain road leading to Armenia.
The Armenian government said 42,500 refugees had entered since Azerbaijan lifted its nine-month blockade on the enclave on Sunday.
It added that nearly five thousand more were already en route.
That represents over a third of the region's estimated 120,000 population and marks a fundamental shift in ethnic control of lands that had been disputed by mostly Christian Armenians and predominantly Azerbaijanis for the past century.
It also adds to the economic strains of Armenia -- a landlocked Caucasus country with few natural resources and emerging problems in its longstanding diplomatic and military partnership with Russia.
Pensioner Alekhan Hambardzyumyan was one of hundreds of people trying to survive on the streets of Armenia's mountaintop village of Goris after fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh this week.
Goris has become the main destination point for the families fleeing their hometowns in beat up Soviet-era Ladas and farm vehicles.
The golden-toothed 72-year-old was spending nights in a shelled-out van and grieving the loss of his son in last week's fighting.
"I want to go to Yerevan," Hambardzyumyan said. "But I don't know what the state can offer me."
The Armenian government said it had prepared living arrangements for 40,000 families after last week's fighting broke out.
But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's spokeswoman said late Tuesday that the government had so far been able to find housing for just 2,850 people.
The looming humanitarian crisis poses a political problem for Pashinyan.
The opposition agreed to end six days of anti-government protests on Tuesday to allow officials to focus on helping the displaced.
The opposition is also fractured and lacks a single figure who can challenge Pashinyan.
But analysts say the opposition is being spearheaded by Moscow and Nagorno-Karabakh supporters who have roots in the region.
"The influx of refugees will have a serious impact on the domestic political situation in Armenia," independent political analyst Boris Navasardyan said.
"Armenia lacks resources to deal with the refugee crisis and will not be able to overcome it without assistance from abroad."
The Red Cross and the United Nations' refugees agency are trying to organise immediate help.
But Russia is working hand-in-hand with Azerbaijani forces and focused on disarming the separatists under the terms of a ceasefire reached last Wednesday. - AFP
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