54 families of forced migrants returned to the Khojavend and Shusha districts.

In the villages of Khojavend and Shusha districts, 210 members of the families of forced migrants returned today.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on May 23, 65 members of Azerbaijani families who left the city during the Karabakh conflict returned to Khojavend.

54 families of forced migrants, totaling 210 people, resettled today in the Khojavend and Shusha districts. Previously, they had been temporarily housed in dormitories, sanatoriums, children's camps, unfinished and administrative buildings, Trend.az reported.

In the village of Gyuneykhirman in the Khojavend district, 18 families (72 people) resettled, in the village of Guzeykhirman – 21 families (87 people), and in the village of Kichik Galaderesi in the Shusha district – 15 families (51 people), the APA agency clarified today.

It is worth noting that the Khojavend district (Armenian name Khojavenda – Martuni) has been controlled by the authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since 1993. On February 20, 2026, the first groups of former forced migrants returned to the city of Khojavend and the village of the same name.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the capture of Shusha by Azerbaijani forces in November 2020 was a key event in the escalation of the Karabakh conflict in the fall of 2020. On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and on September 28, 2023, a decree was published by the president of Nagorno-Karabakh Samvel Shahramanyan on the cessation of the existence of the Republic of Artsakh (Artsakh is the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh). Nagorno-Karabakh ceased to exist on January 1, 2024.

Earlier, residents of Azerbaijan who returned to Karabakh told "Caucasian Knot" that they are settling in and finding work. Despite ongoing issues with employment and infrastructure, the migrants note an improvement in living conditions.

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