evidence: Armenia-Azerbaijan: Political crisis resurges in the Artsakh enclave The number of armed clashes along the Armenia-Artsakh1The disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. ACLED refers to the de facto state and its institutions in the ethnic Armenian majority areas of Nagorno-Karabakh as Artsakh — the name by which the de facto territory refers to itself. For more on methodology and coding decisions around de facto states, see this methodology primer.-Azerbaijan Line of Contact increased by about 25% in August following a drop in the previous month. Azerbaijani forces increasingly resorted to mortar fire throughout the month, though the number of instances continued to remain low. Ceasefire violations were mostly recorded around the Armenian-majority Artsakh enclave. Clashes along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border also increased, with Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik region again among the most affected. Azerbaijani small-arms fire against Artsakh farmers close to the Line of Contact continued. In addition, an Azerbaijani farmer sustained injuries when his tractor hit an anti-tank mine near Artsakh. [...] On 31 August, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan and State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan tendered their resignations amid the stalemate with Azerbaijan over access routes and a likely internal power struggle.5Ani Avetisyan, ‘Militia entered Nagorno-Karabakh parliament to ‘back President Harutyunyan,’ Open Caucasus Media, 22 August 2023