Afghan Citizens Evacuated to Germany
Political
On the evening of Wednesday, April 16, 2025, a charter flight commissioned by the German government landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport. On board were Afghan citizens considered part of vulnerable population groups. According to Germany's Interior Ministry, 138 people arrived in the country. The flight departed from Islamabad, Pakistan.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, these individuals had previously received entry permits as part of various programs developed by the federal government after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.
Among them are former employees of German institutions in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan men and women who have faced persecution by the Taliban for advocating human rights.
The plane carried 45 children and teenagers. In total, 76 women and 62 men arrived. The Interior Ministry noted that each individual underwent a security check.
So far this year, a total of 461 Afghans have arrived in Germany on similar flights.
More than 2,600 Afghans Await Departure from Pakistan to Germany
Currently, over 2,600 Afghans who have received entry clearance are waiting in Pakistan to travel to Germany. However, their situation may worsen, as the Pakistani authorities launched a new wave of deportations of Afghan refugees in early April, according to the dpa agency.
Furthermore, the admission of new refugees from Afghanistan is drawing criticism from politicians in Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc. The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats includes plans to terminate current resettlement programs from Afghanistan and to refrain from launching new ones.
Jens Spahn, head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, stated that each such flight strengthens the position of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Among them are former employees of German institutions in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan men and women who have faced persecution by the Taliban for advocating human rights.
The plane carried 45 children and teenagers. In total, 76 women and 62 men arrived. The Interior Ministry noted that each individual underwent a security check.
So far this year, a total of 461 Afghans have arrived in Germany on similar flights.
More than 2,600 Afghans Await Departure from Pakistan to Germany
Currently, over 2,600 Afghans who have received entry clearance are waiting in Pakistan to travel to Germany. However, their situation may worsen, as the Pakistani authorities launched a new wave of deportations of Afghan refugees in early April, according to the dpa agency.
Furthermore, the admission of new refugees from Afghanistan is drawing criticism from politicians in Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc. The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats includes plans to terminate current resettlement programs from Afghanistan and to refrain from launching new ones.
Jens Spahn, head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, stated that each such flight strengthens the position of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
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