EU considers entry of 42,500 Afghans viable
In early October, a Taliban fighter guarded a passage in Kabul in front of an office responsible for issuing passports
Quayle: AFP/Vice Kohsar
The United Nations estimates that in the next five years, 85,000 Afghans will be resettled from neighboring countries in Afghanistan alone. EU states should take half of it. EU Interior Commissioner Johansson thinks this is possible and appeals to member states.
DThe European Union considers the entry of 42,500 Afghan migrants to be feasible over five years. EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson said in Brussels on Thursday. The EU has a moral obligation to help, but any decision on this lies with the member states.
According to Johansson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, it is estimated that around 85,000 Afghans will have to relocate from neighboring countries in Afghanistan over the next five years. “He suggested that the EU should take half of it,” she said.
johansson ConfirmationThe evacuation of the most vulnerable Afghans, including journalists, NGO activists and human rights activists, especially women, must continue. About 22,000 Afghans have already been housed in 24 EU member states. Johansson assured that the EU is “ready to do more”.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Council pushed forward the appointment of a reporter on Afghanistan. “This is a necessary step to ensure continued monitoring by an independent expert and to prevent further deterioration in the human rights situation in Afghanistan,” said Lotte Knudsen, the EU’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva after the resolution was passed on Thursday.
The resolution on a one-year mandate of UN coordination was introduced by the European Union with the support of the United States. Even the representative of Afghanistan appointed by the old government spoke in its favour. The 28 member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council voted in favor. China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan and Eritrea voted against it, with 14 countries not participating.
In mid-August, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan after NATO forces withdrew. Since then, there have been fears that Islamists may commit many human rights violations, as they did during their first regime in the 1990s. The Taliban have pledged to respect the rights of minorities and women, but there are increasing reports of human rights violations.
