Years After Conflict Azerbaijan's Displaced Continue to Suffer

BY RAMIL MAHARRAMOV & VAFA ASADOVA | June 20, 2003

A man looks out from the abandoned train where he lives with his family. It its estimated that 135,000 internally displaced persons live in tented camps, makeshift huts, uncompleted buildings and railway wagons throughout Azerbaijan. Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps

Today is World Refugee Day, a day designated by U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to bring attention to the plight of millions of refugees and displaced people around the world.

Nearly eight percent of Azerbaijan's total population of eight million has been left homeless as a result of the war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Fighting between the two countries first erupted 15 years ago, yet hundreds of thousands of people still live in mud-brick shelters, railroad boxcars and abandoned buildings. Political instability and unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a peace treaty have exacerbated the plight of Azerbaijan's displaced citizens. Despite a cease-fire agreement signed in 1994, a formal peace treaty remains elusive.

Fifteen years have passed since the outbreak of war, yet inhuman living conditions persist in internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugee communities. Poverty and unemployment is endemic, access to education is limited and sanitation is problematic. According to the Report of the Norwegian Refugee Council (www.idpproject.org) on Internal Displacement in Azerbaijan, unemployment among the displaced population is extremely high, with only 20 percent of the displaced population employed and earning regular wages. State programs provide financial assistance to IDPs, but their average income remains lower than that of other citizens. 63 percent of the displaced population, including refugees, lives below the poverty line.

Mercy Corps began work in Azerbaijan at the end of 1996 with the goal of helping people recover from the devastating effects of war. Today, the focus of Mercy Corps' work is managing the Azerbaijan Human Assistance Program (AHAP). The Program, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is an umbrella grant designed to create and increase community development efforts to integrate, resettle and provide economic opportunities to internally displaced persons and conflict-affected populations. To date, Mercy Corps has awarded over $37 million to partner organizations for 32 projects. Together, they have disbursed over 15,482 loans, organized 220 community groups to implement 682 micro-projects; refurbished 114 Primary Health Clinics to meet WHO standards; and established 16 community clusters to manage regional level issues. The projects cover 23 cities and districts of Azerbaijan.

The vast majority of Azerbaijan's displaced people continue to live in substandard shelters, the most noticeable indicator of their destitution. As of early 2003, 135,000 internally displaced persons live in tented camps, makeshift huts, uncompleted buildings and railway wagons.

Poor housing conditions, with insufficient water supply and dilapidated sanitation facilities have contributed to the deterioration of the health of IDPs. It is estimated that 26 percent of IDP households suffer from malnutrition, compared to 10 percent nationwide. Infant mortality among displaced children is three-four times higher than in the rest of the population (Government of Azerbaijan 2003).

The lack of educational infrastructure obliges displaced and local children to attend schools in shifts, due to the lack of classrooms. The literacy rate among IDPs is high, but the proportion of IDPs without secondary education is significantly higher than in the rest of the population. In recent years, school attendance has been falling among displaced children, particularly among girls, with the distance to school having been identified as one of the obstacles to school attendance. Women and children are considered the most vulnerable subgroup of IDPs, with 200,000 IDP children; of which more than 86,000 are under school age and about 98,000 are schoolchildren.

The future of Azerbaijan's displaced citizens is uncertain. Due to limited resources, the government of Azerbaijan has been unable to respond and donor fatigue has cut into international assistance. Even if a peace treaty were signed today, IDPs and refugees would not be able to return to their places of origin as the conflict-area is littered with landmines and homes lay in ruins. Despite the overwhelming challenges, Mercy Corps remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance that addresses the needs of Azerbaijan's conflict-affected population.