They have fled Afghanistan since the seizure of power by the Taliban: 150 refugees will be welcomed this Thursday in Strasbourg for several weeks, the prefect of Bas-Rhin announced on Wednesday.
"It was agreed that we would welcome 150 Afghans in Strasbourg from tomorrow," said Josiane Chevalier at a press conference, specifying that a hotel in the city was requisitioned for a month to accommodate these people. refugees.
Arrived in France as part of the Apagan emergency evacuation operation, via Abu Dhabi, they will travel by bus to Strasbourg as a group on Thursday.
They will initially have a two-week visa before initiating, if they wish, the asylum application.
Operation Apagan has already made it possible to evacuate around 2,000 people, a large part of which is housed in the Ile-de-France region.
In health quarantine
The composition of this group of 150 people expected in Strasbourg (number of men and women, presence of children, etc.) is not yet known to the prefecture. "To welcome populations who have suffered trauma, seasoned professionals are needed so that the care is as qualitative as possible," said Josiane Chevalier, who asked the Strasbourg association of assistance to refugees Foyer Notre- Lady to take care of it with the support of health professionals and various associations. Tested for Covid-19 as soon as they arrive on French soil, the refugees will have to observe a ten-day health quarantine.
"I am delighted that faced with a dramatic situation, we can show solidarity," said the environmentalist mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian, who had announced a few days earlier that the city was ready to welcome refugees fleeing Afghanistan . On August 19, Lille had welcomed the first Afghan families, 22 people followed by 36 others.
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