The obstacle course of Afghan soldiers who worked for Germany
The last German soldiers left Afghanistan at the end of June (illustration).
ISAF / Ryan Tabios
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The German authorities have promised to allow Afghans who have worked alongside them in Afghanistan and who fear for their lives in the face of advancing Taliban forces to come and settle in Germany.
But the reality is less flattering.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
On paper, Berlin has been generous.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ruled that the installation in Germany of local Afghan forces who had worked for the German army and now threatened was a moral obligation.
Angela Merkel stressed on Thursday that she had pleaded for more of them to take advantage of this option.
The German government issued 2,400 visas in June.
Other requests are still in progress.
“
Our aim is that those who have worked for our country from 2013 onwards have the possibility if they wish to settle in Germany in order to be free from reprisals,
” said the Chancellor.
In reality, the situation is not that simple. Concerned people say they learned from the media that this solution was offered to them and not by their former employer. They often do not know how to contact German authorities in an unstable country that
the last Bundeswehr soldiers left at the end of June
, ending an engagement of almost 20 years. And those who have been granted permission to travel to Germany have to pay for their plane ticket themselves. A financial challenge for many that experts and politicians denounce.
Angela Merkel pleaded this Thursday for support for these transfers and did not rule out charter flights.
According to the magazine
Der Spiegel
, the chancellery is putting pressure on several ministries which are dragging their feet, fearing that such thefts will stir the hopes of other Afghans who have, for example, worked for German development aid projects.
Other issues are debated, such as the fate of people who worked for Bundeswehr subcontractors who did not directly employ them, but are equally threatened.
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Germany
Afghanistan
Angela Merkel