21 Azerbaijani families have been returned to the former Karabakh conflict zone.

Today, 102 members of Azerbaijani families who fled during the Karabakh conflict returned to six villages in the Aghdere and Khojaly districts.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on March 17, 368 members of Azerbaijani families of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned to seven villages in the Aghdere, Khojavend, and Jabrayil districts.

Today, nine families (56 people) of former internally displaced persons were resettled to the village of Ashagi Oratag in the Agdere district, APA reports.

Also, groups of former internally displaced persons were sent today to the villages of Vyangli, Chyldyran, Heyvali, and Chapar in the Agdere district and to the village of Dashbulag in the Khojaly district, Report reports.

Four families (18 people) were resettled to the village of Vyangli today, two families (five people) to Chyldyran, three families (13 people) to Heyvali, two families (six people) to Chapar, and Dashbulag is one family (four people), the agency writes.

These people previously lived temporarily in various regions of Azerbaijan, primarily in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings, the publication notes.

As a reminder, by February 23, 2026, 787 families (3,011 people) had been returned to nine villages in the Aghdere region (the Armenian name for Aghdere is Martakert), including Ashagi Oratag, Chyldyran, Chapar, and Heyvali. They were instructed on mine safety issues and given relevant informational booklets.

In November 2023, Azerbaijani authorities announced plans to return 34,500 families (140,000 people) to the former Karabakh conflict zone by the end of 2026. Despite the construction of roads, energy facilities, and housing, the pace of resettlement is being hampered by mine danger, a lack of jobs, and unresolved land use issues, analysts noted in April 2026.

Azerbaijani residents who returned to Karabakh told the "Caucasian Knot" that they are settling in and finding work. Despite persistent problems with employment and infrastructure, IDPs report improved living conditions. "Each house was allocated a 12-hectare plot of land. Some planted flowers, others trees. But most, like me, created mini-farms for livestock. I built a barn and a chicken coop. I have four cows, a bull, a dozen rams, twenty chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. The conditions here are excellent for livestock farming," said Rashid Aliyev, whose family returned to the village of Khidirli in the Aghdam region.

Earlier, Azerbaijani IDPs complained about the difficulties of returning to Karabakh. In particular, they noted a shortage of jobs in Fuzuli. People are seeking opportunities to return to their homelands, but IDPs noted that property issues in the territories under Azerbaijani control have not yet been resolved.

On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted large-scale military operations and took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which began a mass exodus of the Armenian population. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh had arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report entitled "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".