Abu Dhabi, stopover for the difficult French operation to evacuate Afghan refugees – archyde

They don’t breathe a word, but their slow pace and tired looks say it all. One hundred and eighty-five Afghans identified as vulnerable, including 33 children, arrived Monday, August 23, shortly after 6 p.m. local time at the French air base in Abu Dhabi. The A400M military aircraft, from which they descend in a long line, took off in the early afternoon from Kabul, to flee the capital now controlled by the Taliban. Most of the passengers have a small baggage due to a rushed departure. There are many families and six babies.

Since the fall of the Western-backed regime on August 15, this flight has been the 14^e rotation under the French flag between the Afghan capital and the immense Emirati base of Al-Dhafra – whose tricolor influence occupies a small portion of the territory. The third of the day. It is also, despite the distress and the exodus, a source of relief for the two French ministers who came to support the exfiltration operations on Monday. “An achievement, each flight is an achievement”, observes Jean-Yves Le Drian, the head of diplomacy, on the tarmac. “We are very proud to welcome you”, Florence Parly, the Minister of the Armed Forces, will say a little later to refugees living in a huge military hangar.

Extreme conditions

Outside, the temperature is stable above 40 ° C. Inside, the air conditioning is running at full speed. After various medical and consular formalities, in a nearby hall usually used to store materials and freight, the Afghans rest for a few hours before continuing their journey. From time to time, fighter planes fly over the military base at low altitude. Here, 180 French soldiers usually take care of seven Rafale stationed in the Emirates. Reinforcements were dispatched to the site to build this air bridge.

At this rate, France, which is reluctant to set any objective, unlike the British (20,000, including 5,000 in the first year) and Canadians (20,000), should have exfiltrated a little more than 2,000 people on Wednesday , mostly refugees, for barely 100 French people, in still extreme conditions. Thousands of Afghans exposed or threatened have reportedly expressed their willingness to leave to the French authorities. But we get annoyed in Paris with the figures brandished by other capitals, while walking on eggshells. “We don’t know how much time we have. All this can be interrupted at any moment ”, says a source involved in operations.

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