Refugee crisis: 138 Afghans end up in Leipzig - politics in turmoil!

Refugee crisis: 138 Afghans end up in Leipzig - politics in turmoil!

On Wednesday evening, an aircraft chartered by the federal government at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which had 138 Afghans from Islamabad on board. These people who had previously received a legally binding commitment commitment are part of a group that suffers from the difficult conditions in Pakistan. Of the incoming, 76 are female and 62 male, including 45 children and adolescents. This event is part of an ongoing federal recording program that aims to bring endangered Afghans to Germany. Around 2,600 particularly endangered people from Afghanistan are currently waiting in Pakistan for their admission in Germany, which include former local forces of German institutions. These people are particularly threatened by the Taliban persecution, which have established a brutal regime since their takeover in the summer of 2021.

political reactions on ongoing pictures are split. Politicians of the Union expressed outrage over the flights planned for April and specifically criticized the approach of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster described the actions as "infamous and completely bored". Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer also criticized and referred to the controversy in the last few days of Baerbock's term. In the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD it is stipulated that voluntary federal recording programs should be ended, which also tightens the tensions.

Humanitarian responsibility and future flights

Although the criticism of the Union is loud, co-faction leader of the Greens, Britta Haßelmann, defends the recordings and emphasizes Germany's humanitarian responsibility. With the recording program, Germany has created the opportunity to record up to 1,000 people per month. So far, around 1,400 Afghans have been brought to Germany as part of this program. Further flights are planned for April 23 and 29.

The spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office, Christian Wagner, assured that the commitments for the recording are binding and the program was clearly structured. The challenges due to the brutal regime of the Taliban make a further need for action. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the new government coalition will deal with the topic of future recording programs.

Overall, this topic represents a critical challenge that contains both humanitarian aspects and domestic political conflicts. The debate will continue to accompany German politics in the coming weeks, especially in view of the precarious situation in Afghanistan and the continuing threats to the civilian population.