Op-ed: Marking Three Years Since the Taliban’s Takeover of Afghanistan: A Grim Reflection

Tuesday 15 August was the third anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan – a day that shattered the hopes of millions and forced hundreds of thousands of Afghans (mostly highly educated) to flee their homeland. This date symbolises not just the Taliban’s return to power but also the hasty withdrawal of the international community, including European countries, many of whom had had a presence in Afghanistan for over two decades. Over these three dark years, life has persisted, albeit under immense hardship and with a deep sense of despair.

The situation in Afghanistan remains dire, with a devastating humanitarian crisis and the relentless erosion of human rights. The Taliban has systematically dismantled the achievements of the past two decades, one by one, while persecution, torture, extrajudicial killings and acts of revenge continue unabated against those who served in the previous government. A generation that grew up with dreams of a brighter future in a fragile democracy has seen its hopes dashed and aspirations destroyed. Women, who make up half of the population, have been disproportionately targeted. Not only are they barred from education and public spaces, but a recent Taliban decree even forbids them from speaking loudly, declaring their voices as “Hawrat” (intimate for men).

The displacement crisis is staggering. Millions of Afghans have been forced to flee their homes following the Taliban takeover, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and adding to the large number of Afghan refugees who have already been living in those countries for years. Iran and Pakistan, which together host approximately 90% of these Afghan refugees, often complain that they are left alone without adequate support from wealthy countries and criticise other states for the lack of third-country solutions for refugees living in their countries.

Limited efforts on evacuation and admission of Afghans at risk to Europe

Following the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021, the European Union (EU) and its member states (MS) pledged to continue the evacuation of former Afghan local staff and others at risk, alongside providing humanitarian assistance. While countries like Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain made notable efforts compared to other EU MS to evacuate those at risk, by 31 August 2021, most of these operations had either been severely limited or completely halted. Although a few EU MS continued to evacuate small numbers of Afghans at risk beyond this date, and some launched specific admission programmes such as Italy’s humanitarian corridors, which committed to admitting over 1,200 Afghans, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, over two years (2022-2023), others, such as Austria, refused to participate in any evacuation efforts.

In February 2022, the Council of the EU (under the Common Foreign and Security Policy) adopted a decision emphasising the need to continue evacuating Afghans at risk until December 2022 – a deadline that has since been extended twice and is now December 2024. Moreover, the European Commission (EC) convened two high-level forums on resettlement and humanitarian admission with a focus on Afghanistan in 2021 and 2022, aimed at bolstering EU MS commitments to evacuating those at risk. In 2023, 17 EU MS pledged to admit 29,000 refugees, including but not only Afghans, through resettlement and humanitarian admissions during the course of the year. However, only 15,000 refugees – just over half of what was promised – were admitted. The Council decision should serve as a tool for EU MS to continue the evacuation of their former Afghan local staff and those Afghans whose lives are at risk inside Afghanistan.

Despite these efforts, many former local staff who worked with the EU and its MS, as well as other at-risk Afghans, remain in hiding within Afghanistan or in neighbouring countries, and living in constant fear and uncertainty. In the absence of regular and safe pathways, some Afghans have embarked on perilous journeys to reach Europe, where an asylum lottery awaits them, with divergences in EU MS decision-making on asylum matters, and some people denied access to a procedure or to European territory.

A number of EU MS have launched small-scale programmes to admit Afghans from neighbouring countries. For instance, Italy has admitted over 1,000 Afghans via humanitarian corridors, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, and continues to admit over 500 Afghans over the course of two years. Meanwhile, in France, civil society organisations (CSOs), including ECRE member organisations, have campaigned for the government to establish a specific pathway for Afghan women persecuted based on their gender. A petition launched by Amnesty International France collected over 100,000 signatures from academia, women’s rights activists, journalists etc. Yet, despite the outcry and legal recognition from France’s National Court of Asylum (CNDA) and other EU MS that Afghan women are persecuted based on their gender and should be recognised as refugees, the French government has yet to establish a pathway for these women in need of protection.

At the Global Refugee Forum, 14 EU MS pledged to admit around 61,000 refugees through resettlement and humanitarian admission, with 24,000 of these pledges coming from Germany. Many of these slots were allocated to Afghans under Germany’s federal humanitarian admission programme, launched in October 2022. This programme aimed to bring 1,000 Afghans per month to Germany. However, nearly two years since its launch, only around 650 Afghans have been admitted, with thousands of applications still pending for years. CSOs have criticised the German government for failing to fulfil its promises to the Afghan people, leaving many behind and at risk.

The current situation in Afghanistan remains critical, necessitating a multifaceted approach from the EU and its MS. While long-term, sustainable solutions must be sought to ensure that all Afghans can one day live in peace and freedom, the EU’s immediate focus should also include the provision of life-saving assistance and the creation of safe pathways to protection for those at risk. This dual approach not only aligns with the EU’s humanitarian commitments but also strengthens solidarity with Afghans and Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, encouraging them to continue supporting Afghan refugees.

To advance these efforts, a practical next step would be for the EC to convene a follow-up high-level forum on resettlement and humanitarian admission in 2024. This forum should aim to mobilise EU MS to expand their commitments to admitting Afghans at risk. Such an initiative would reinforce the EU’s role as a global leader in humanitarian action and demonstrate a continued commitment to the values of protection and solidarity. By doing so, the EU could help to mitigate the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and offer a beacon of hope to those who are most vulnerable and at risk.