Ethnic Armenian villagers burn houses before Azerbaijan takeover | Nagorno-Karabakh | Al Jazeera

Ethnic Armenian villagers in Nagorno-Karabakh set their houses on fire on Saturday before fleeing to Armenia on the even of deadline that will see parts of the territory handed over to Azerbaijan as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Residents of the Kalbajar district in Azerbaijan that was controlled by ethnic Armenians for decades began a mass exodus this week after it was announced Azerbaijan would regain control on Sunday.

“Children in Armenia are crying and want to return home, it is such a sorrow,” a tearful resident of Kalbajar told Al Jazeera.

Fighting between the Azerbaijani army and ethnic Armenian forces erupted in late September and raged for six weeks. The ex-Soviet rivals agreed to end hostilities earlier this week after major advances by Azerbaijan’s troops.

A key part of the Russia-brokered deal includes Armenia’s return of Kalbajar, as well as the Aghdam district by November 20 and the Lachin district by December 1, which have been held by Armenians since a devastating war in the 1990s.