France has already evacuated hundreds of people from Afghanistan in relative silence in recent months. This happened in the expectation that the Taliban would take power.
Preparations for this started four months ago. The French ambassador in Kabul, David Martinon, then called together French aid organizations for consultation. The message: danger was imminent and people would be evacuated.
“In mid-April, we received the ambassador’s proposal to have our employees fly over to France and apply for asylum,” said director Philippe Bertonèche of aid organization Afrane to the NOS. His NGO supports dozens of schools in Afghanistan. along.”
Also driver and kitchen staff along
The French embassy drew up lists of names of people who were eligible for evacuation. “It was about French people, but also about Afghans,” says the French-Afghan political scientist Karim Pakzad. “Former interpreters of the French army in Afghanistan were allowed to come along, but also drivers and kitchen staff from the embassy, for example.”
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms these evacuations to the NOS. “We don’t want to forget the people who worked for us,” said a senior official. “These are people who could be threatened. That is why we have brought over 600 Afghans and their relatives to France since May.”
This happened with several flights from early June to mid-July. “19 of our employees flew over, together with their relatives that was a group of 80 people,” says Afrane director Bertonèche. “They came to Paris by plane on July 12.”
On July 16, the French government chartered one last flight carrying 70 French and Afghans.
‘Everyone knew the race was over’
The humanitarian airlift had a clear reason: the advance of the Taliban. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks of ‘an extremely rapidly deteriorating situation’ in Afghanistan in recent weeks and months. In April, therefore, it was already considered that action had to be taken.
“Everyone knew what would happen,” says political scientist Pakzad. “At the beginning of July, the Taliban already controlled two-thirds of all districts in Afghanistan. Then everyone knew that the race was over. It was crystal clear to the French authorities, even in April: Kabul would fall into the hands of the Taliban.”
Over the past week, France has resumed evacuations. French and Afghans are taken to safety via Abu Dhabi. A third plane landed in Paris on Thursday evening with 200 people on board.
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