Emotional homecoming for IDPs after 31-Year Separation

The resettlement of former IDPs who were forced to leave their homes by Armenia in the 1990s continues under the state program.

Azernews reports that on December 25, 2024, another group of IDPs, comprising 49 families or 253 people of different ages, left for the newly reconstructed Jabrayil city, which was liberated by the Azerbaijani Army during the 44-day war in 2020. The people expressed their happiness and shared their joy with local media outlets.

Ismyil Mahmudov, a former IDP, was in his 40s when he was forced to leave his home, and today he is over 70. Over the past 30 years, he and his family have longed to return to their hometown, and today their dream has come true.

"Today, we are returning to the city of Jabrayil. The 31-year separation is over. It is difficult to express our feelings in words. We return with great joy and pride. May Allah bless the souls of our martyrs, and I wish good health to our veterans. Thanks to them, today we are returning to the places where we were born, to our homes and villages. May Allah grant all IDPs the opportunity to return," he told the local media outlets.

Former IDP Zarifa Farzaliyeva is also elated to return to her hometown. Despite the passage of 30 years, she vividly remembers how she and her children left their native city. She spoke with deep emotion about the days when they were forced to leave. But now, she said, all agonies are over, and she is returning with her five family members.

"Our joy knows no bounds for returning to Jabrayil. We had visited recently as well, and the air and water of our liberated lands are very beautiful," Farzaliyeva concluded.

Amil Aliyev was a child when he left his home in Jabrayil and sought shelter in Baku with his family. He cannot contain his emotions and underscores that returning to his ancestral land and living there is a wonderful feeling.

"We lived without Jabrayil for thirty-two years. True, I was a child when I was forced to leave, but being away from my homeland and living as an internally displaced person is very difficult. Today, at the age of 35, my life as an IDP is finally coming to an end," he concluded.

Jabrayil, once a flourishing district of Azerbaijan, is located in the south of the country on the border with Iran. The region was known for its agriculture and strategic importance due to its proximity to the Iranian border and its position along the Araz River. The district was invaded by Armenians in August 1993 and was liberated by the Azerbaijani Army in 2020.