Saturday, January 01, 2022
Taliban prevent charter flights
20,000 Afghans are waiting to enter Germany
After the chaotic withdrawal of western troops from Afghanistan, numerous former local forces of the Bundeswehr and other German institutions were flown out. But around 20,000 people are still waiting for the opportunity to enter Germany.
Four and a half months after the Taliban came to power in mid-August, around 20,000 Afghans are still waiting for an opportunity to enter Germany. The Federal Ministry of the Interior announced this on request. The numbers fluctuate because former local workers who feel threatened in their home country can still contact German authorities or register relatives. It is also possible that some of those affected are already in another country outside of Afghanistan.
According to information from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the largest group among those who had arrived was made up of so-called local staff and their relatives as of December 27. Since August 16, 1,348 former local employees and their relatives have come to Germany, a total of 5,437 people. Local staff worked, for example, for the Federal Development Ministry or the German Armed Forces as translators and now have to fear persecution by the militant Islamist Taliban.
Human rights activists, artists, scientists, journalists and other people who the federal government classifies as particularly at risk are also still waiting to enter the country. From this group, 466 people had come to Germany by the end of December, 1462 including relatives. The left-wing MP Gökay Akbulut described the state of the recordings as “absolutely inadequate”.
At least 100 people executed or disappeared
“Those affected live in great fear and insecurity in Afghanistan.” She referred to a report by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) at the end of November, according to which the Taliban had executed or disappeared more than 100 former soldiers, police and intelligence officials in four provinces of Afghanistan alone. “It is the duty of the new foreign minister to provide quick and uncomplicated help,” said Akbulut to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The new federal government wants to accelerate the evacuation of particularly vulnerable people from Afghanistan, as Baerbock has announced. So far, the Federal Foreign Office has evacuated 670 people from Kabul who have accepted admission to Germany on two of their own charter flights. “Further charter flights directly from Kabul could not take place for the time being due to resistance from the Taliban,” said the Foreign Office. Other states are also faced with this problem. “We are working hard to resume these flights.”
Another 430 people could have left on flights organized by Qatar. “In addition, the federal government organized trips from Afghanistan on scheduled flights. Other people were able to leave on a flight operated by a non-governmental organization.” According to the Foreign Office, there were 18 charter flights from Islamabad in Pakistan for the onward journey to Germany, the most recent of which was on Thursday. In this way, around 3800 Afghans with admission confirmations could have entered the country, i.e. local staff and people on the human rights list of the Foreign Office as well as their relatives. Since the Taliban came to power, more than 5,900 visas for Afghans have been issued at German diplomatic missions in the region.
In their coalition agreement, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP have agreed to reform the procedure for hiring local staff so that former employees and their closest relatives at risk can get to safety in an unbureaucratic manner. “We will not leave our allies behind. We want to particularly protect those who have stood by the Federal Republic of Germany as partners abroad and who have campaigned for democracy and social development,” it says there.