Reuters” 17″ Tuesday ” 2021 Aug
Uganda to take 2,000 Afghan refugees temporarily
Uganda said it had agreed to a request from the United States to take in temporarily 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan fleeing after the Taliban takeover.
The East African nation has long experience receiving people escaping conflict and currently hosts about 1.4 million refugees, most from Somalia and South Sudan
“The request was made yesterday by the US government to H.E. (President Yoweri Museveni) and he has given them an OK to bring 2,000 (Afghan) refugees to Uganda,” Esther Anyakun Davinia, Uganda’s junior minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, told Reuters news agency
UN chief urges countries to accept Afghan refugees
UN chief Antonio Guterres is urging all countries to accept Afghan refugees and refrain from deportations.
The world is watching events in the country “with a heavy heart”, he said on Twitter.
“Afghans have known generations of war & hardship. They deserve our full support.”
Turkey says in talks with all Afghan parties
Turkey is in talks with all parties in Afghanistan including the Taliban and views the messages of the group since taking control of the country positively, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Dutch send new evacuation plane to Kabul
The Netherlands has sent a second military plane to Afghanistan to help evacuate people from the country, fearing time for the operation is running out, Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag said.
Kaag said the aim was to extract at least the almost 40 local Afghan staff at the Dutch Embassy and their families, along with translators and other Afghans whose lives may be in danger from Taliban militants because of their work for the Netherlands or non-governmental organisations.
But Kaag said it was very uncertain how many people would get out and how much time there was for the operation. “We will do everything we can to get those who deserve our protection out”, she said in a debate with Dutch members of parliament.
Europe needs humanitarian corridors for Afghan refugees, says official
Europe has to create humanitarian corridors to receive refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, and also to avoid uncontrolled flows of illegal immigrants, the European Union’s Economy Commissioner said.
“I think that Europe will inevitably have to equip itself for humanitarian corridors and organised reception, also to avoid uncontrolled flows of illegal immigrants. Or, at least, the countries that are willing to do so, should,” Paolo Gentiloni told Italian daily il Messaggero.
The EU’s foreign ministers will hold a crisis meeting later on Tuesday to discuss the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Britain cautions against militants using Afghanistan to attack West
Britain cautioned the Taliban that Afghanistan must never be used to launch terror attacks but added that the West must try to positively influence the armed group.
Britain fears the Taliban’s return and the vacuum left by the West’s chaotic withdrawal will allow militants from al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) to gain a foothold in Afghanistan, just 20 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK would try to see if it could moderate the new rulers of Afghanistan and even try to convince them to be “inclusive.
ICC prosecutor urges all sides in Afghanistan to respect humanitarian law
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called on all parties in the Afghanistan conflict to respect humanitarian law.
In a statement, Karim Khan noted that the court may exercise jurisdiction over any genocide, crime against humanity or war crime committed in Afghanistan since it joined the court in 2003.
“I call on all parties to the hostilities to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by ensuring the protection of civilians,” Khan said, adding that he was concerned about reports of revenge killings and persecution of women and girls.
Canada will not recognise Taliban as Afghan gov’t – PM Trudeau
Canada has no plans to recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government following the hardline movement’s takeover of Kabul, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
“Canada has no plans to recognise the Taliban as the Government of Afghanistan,” Trudeau told reporters. “They have taken over and replaced a duly elected democratic government by force.”
Afghanistan: Macron’s comments on ‘irregular’ migration draw ire
President Emmanuel Macron has said France, Germany and other EU countries are working on a coordinated response against expected “irregular migratory flows” from Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s takeover has fuelled fears among rights groups of a looming crisis.
Speaking on Monday in a televised address from his summer residence, Macron described the situation in Afghanistan as an “important challenge for our own security”.
Read more here.
UNICEF says some Taliban support girls’ education
The UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said Taliban representatives in some parts of Afghanistan have expressed support for educating girls after they seized control when U.S. troops withdrew, its field operations chief for the country said.
Mustapha Ben Messaoud, UNICEF’s chief of field operations in Afghanistan, said some Taliban local representatives had said they were waiting for guidance on the issue from their leaders, while others have said they want schools to run for girls.
“We are cautiously optimistic on moving forward,” he told a UN briefing in Geneva.
Russia calls on Afghan ethnic groups to gather for talks
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urged all ethnic groups in Afghanistan to gather for talks on the country’s future after the fall of its government.
Lavrov also said it was a positive sign that the Taliban has demonstrated willingness to take into account the position of other groups.
Freedom and independence’ right of all every nations: Taliban spokesman
The Taliban in its first conference congratulated the Afghan people for being “emancipated” from 20 years of occupation, adding that “freedom and independence” was the legitimate right of every nation.
Zabuhullah Mujahid made the comments at the movement’s first news conference in Kabul.
Second German evacuation flight lands at Kabul airport
A second German evacuation flight has landed at Kabul airport, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said.
Taliban wants private media to be independent, but not work against ‘national values’: Mujahid
The Taliban spokesman has assured that the group wanted private media to “remain independent”, but stressed journalists “should not work against national values”.
With economic assets to secure, China embraces the Taliban
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan the first time in 1996, China refused to recognise their rule and left its embassy shut for years.
This time around, Beijing has been among the first to embrace the group next door.
China’s remarkable shift was on display little more than two weeks ago, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed a Taliban delegation to the northern port of Tianjin as the group made gains against the administration of President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country on Sunday.
Read more here.
India ferries 120 officials from Afghanistan
A military flight carrying Indian officials has landed in the western state of Gujarat after taking off from Kabul’s main airport, reported Indian media.
India’s foreign ministry had said the country was evacuating its ambassador and other Indian staff from Kabul.
India’s public broadcaster reported that the plane carried more than 120 Indian officials. Another military aircraft brought home around 40 Indian diplomats and other staff on Monday, local media reported.
The Indian government also announced a new electronic visa that would fast-track applications from Afghans who wish to escape to India.
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