Researchers and journalists ask France to host plane with 145 Afghan refugees
Hundreds of people wait for a flight to leave Afghanistan at Kabul airport, the only exit gate still under American control, on August 17, 2021. REUTERS - STRINGER
Text by: Lou Roméo Follow
3 min
A platform to save 145 Afghans directly threatened by the Taliban.
Researchers and a group of journalists working or having worked in Afghanistan launched an appeal on August 18, 2021 to France: welcome without delay these intellectuals and activists "
in the crosshairs
" of the Taliban.
Publicity
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"
It's now or never to get them out of Afghanistan
"
,
is alarmed Nama Vanier, Director of Research Sayara research center, behind the platform available on the website of France Info.
With a group of journalists working or having worked in Afghanistan, they obtained funding for a charter flight to exfiltrate 145 Afghans particularly threatened by the Taliban.
The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bertha Foundation helped finance this flight. The only thing missing now is a country that has agreed to welcome these 145 people on its territory. "
We have all the American authorizations necessary to land and take off from Kabul airport,"
explains Margaux Benn, former correspondent in Afghanistan, particularly for France 24, and signatory of the platform
. All we need is a country of destination.
"
Without a landing authorization letter issued by a third country, the aircraft cannot make its emergency flight. “
All the elements are there, only one destination is missing
,” underlines Nama Vanier. And time is running out: once the airport has been taken over by the Taliban, it will no longer be possible for these people in danger to leave Afghanistan. Hence this appeal to the French President: "
We are asking President Macron to authorize these one hundred and forty-five faces marked by dread and terror to land in France.
"
On the list of passengers, currently holed up in Kabul, former employees of the research center, but also members of civil society, a conductor, high-level sportsmen, feminist activists, archaeologists , translators, poets… “
All are in immediate danger
,” says Margaux Benn.
We only put on the list people we know well and vouch for.
All of them have already received threats from the Taliban, and even suffered assassination attempts.
"
The text of the forum is
available here
.
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Afghanistan
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Refugees
Emmanuel Macron