France in Talks with Kabul on Returning Migrants

France is holding technical discussions with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on returning Afghan irregular migrants, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told lawmakers on Monday.

Nunez confirmed that the government was exploring arrangements to deport some Afghans, noting that other European countries, including Germany, were pursuing similar efforts.

“We are trying to obtain the possibility to return a certain number of Afghans who are in an irregular situation. These are technical discussions.

“Other countries are doing this, Germany is doing this,” he said.

AFP reported in early October, citing a French diplomatic source, that Paris had opened discussions with the Taliban government to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals.

France does not formally recognise the Taliban administration, which took power in 2021, or maintain diplomatic relations with it.

However, the country has joined about 20 European Union member states, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden, in efforts to accelerate the return of Afghan migrants, particularly those convicted of criminal offences.

Nunez said some Afghan nationals could pose threats to public order, making their deportation a priority for the government.

The discussions have drawn criticism from some French lawmakers. 

Lea Balage El Mariky of the Ecologists party accused the government of moving towards normalising relations with an administration she said was committing crimes against humanity through what she described as gender apartheid.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, Afghanistan’s supreme court chief and two education ministers over alleged crimes against humanity linked to restrictions on women and girls.

A meeting in Brussels in June between Taliban representatives and officials from 15 European Union countries also attracted condemnation from human rights organisations and left-wing members of the European Parliament. The discussions focused on curbing irregular migration and increasing deportations.

In September, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk criticised what he described as widespread international silence over Afghanistan’s worsening human rights and humanitarian situation, calling for an end to forced returns to the country.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have barred girls over the age of 12 from continuing their education and prohibited women from attending universities.