The advocacy group released a new







report on Monday about the living conditions of displaced persons in







Azerbaijan as a result of the six-year war between Armenia and







Azerbaijan. The Crisis Group said in a press release on Monday that the







latest briefing, “Tackling Azerbaijan’s IDP Burden,” examines the impact







of the failure to reach a peace settlement on the nearly 600,000







Azerbaijani IDPs forcibly evicted from homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and







seven surrounding districts.

Ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, drove Azerbaijani troops







out of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s during a war that killed some







30,000 people and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing from their homes. A







cease-fire was reached in 1994, but the final status of the enclave,







whose self-proclaimed sovereignty is not recognized internationally, is







unresolved. The dispute continues to damage both nations’ economies and







the threat of renewed war hangs over the region. The report concluded







that while there is no quick solution in sight, the Azerbaijani







government, aided by increasing oil wealth since 2004, has intensified







efforts to deal with IDP needs. Poverty rates have decreased







dramatically, and the state is building better housing and improving







health care, it said.

Lawrence Sheets, the International Crisis Group’s Caucasus Project







director, said the Azerbaijani government has endorsed “a new approach







of dealing with the painful reality of trying to cope with the economic







and social needs of its extremely large displaced population.”

The International Crisis Group said 400,000 still live in







sub-standard dwellings, there are problems with bureaucracy and







approximately 128,000 IDPs and permanent residents live in close







proximity to the 180km-long line of contact (LoC) that has divided the







opposing forces since the 1994 ceasefire. They are exposed to the







immediate threat of ongoing frontline skirmishes that kill at least 30







persons annually. The International Crisis Group recommended that to







protect the civilians along the LoC, Azerbaijan authorities should agree







to an expanded interim monitoring role by the Organization for Security







and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to proposals to remove snipers from







the LoC and to set up an incident investigation mechanism between the







sides to discuss ceasefire breaches. The Azerbaijani government, the







International Crisis Group urged, should also create an







inter-ministerial task-force, including the National Agency for Mine







Action (ANAMA), to design a strategy to increase the safety of







communities near the LoC.

In its policy prescriptions, the advocacy group said IDPs should be







given opportunities to  engage on policies relevant to their daily lives







and the Azerbaijani government should include them more in housing







decisions, streamline processes for reporting incidents of corruption or







violations of state law regarding IDP issues and allow them to vote for







municipal councils in their places of temporary residence. The







political voice of IDPs in decision-making processes that affect their







lives remains weak and should be strengthened.