24. November 2021 – AFGHANISTAN

HÁWAR.HELP AT KABUL LUFTBRÜCKE’S PRESS CONFERENCE

As a human rights organization built on the ashes of the Yazidi genocide, we could not stand by idly when the Taliban took over the country, terrorizing the people of Afghanistan and taking away their rights. After launching our fundraising initiative, the emails, calls, and messages on social media started pouring in: Calls for help from people stuck in Afghanistan, often as many as fifty a day. The cries for help didn’t stop, even until today. This is what our Partnerships Manager Pia Walter came to discuss at Kabul Luftbrücke’s (Kaubul airlift) press conference.

With us on the panel were representatives from Reporter ohne Grenzen, Bildung für Kinder in Afghanistan e.V., Deutscher Anwaltsverei e.V., Terre des Hommes, Europäische Missionsgemeinschaft e.V. and social entrepreneur Tobias Merckle. They told stories of trying to get people on evacuation lists, of lacking support from the Foreign Office and the Interior Ministry, unanswered requests, and bureaucratic hurdles. A bureaucratic failure that is costing lives. Meanwhile, Kabul Luftbrücke has managed to evacuate 800 people, most recently this Saturday when 148 people were brought to safety. This shows us: Evacuations are possible. We are grateful for their tireless work!

But how can it be that NGOs have to carry out the work of the government and rescue people whom Germany has promised to help? A Foreign Office spokesperson reported that they were able to evacuate 8600 people by now but referred to obstacles when evacuating more people due to the rule of law. He assured that the evacuations by the German government are currently picking up speed. This is good news, but we cannot give in now. Together we are strong, we must continue to exert public pressure so that politicians act faster and work on changing these flawed bureaucratic structures and processes!