It’s getting ugly: What is happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is boiling and may soon encourage world powers to enter the picture before it turns into another genocide.

For over 32 years, the two countries have struggled to reach in accordance with Nagaon-Karabakh; a mountainous territory of 150,000 people.

The place is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, yet claimed and governed by ethnic Armenians.

The latest round of fighting happened just recently, on September 27, when both nations accused each other of unprovoked attacks.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan’s military of bombing civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh and, in response, they downed two Azerbaijani helicopters and three drones.

In turn, Azerbaijan’s defense ministry announced it had launched a “counteroffensive” with tanks, warplanes, artillery missiles, and drones.

The fight has killed over 360 people; 320 military personnel, 28 Azeri civilians, and 19 civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Now, anxieties about a second genocide grow in the region.

The conflict has been boiling since the Nagorno-Karabakh war of 1991. Back then, the two countries had entered into an ethnic and territorial conflict that killed more than 30,000 and displaced more than a million people.

A ceasefire was finally signed in 1994, leaving the territory unrecognized and an open door for future conflict.

Azerbaijan and Turkish-backed forces continue to launch attacks targeting #Armenian families and civilians.

U.S.-led diplomatic intervention has been key in ending violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the past. It will be key in stopping it now.https://t.co/s0x1upllx1

— Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) October 9, 2020

This current conflict is the deadliest since the 1991-1994 genocide, and it only continues to grow. Both sides are using a wide range of military equipment, including heavy tanks, long-range artillery, and drones.

Since the struggle began, Armenian-Americans such as the Kardashian clan and Cher, along with others, have been using their social media power and reach to raise awareness over the conflict.

Their posts have been using the hashtag #Artsakh in reference to the original name that Armenia gave to the Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Please share the news @esrailian Armenians in #Arstakh have been attacked. We are praying brave men & women risking their lives to protect Artsakh & #Armenia. The news is misleading & these are not “clashes.”

— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) September 27, 2020

For Armenians everywhere, this has been a recruiting struggle for survival and a constant fight against the media.

For Azerbaijan, on the other hand, this is the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs of 1991-94 and bring the disputed territory hack to their total control.