The Afghan Embassy in Paris, a phantom representation of a regime in exile

by time news
The flag erected in front of the diplomatic representation displays the colors of Afghanistan before the Taliban. Sebastien Sorano / Le Figaro

REPORTAGE – Since the fall of the Afghan government, Ambassador Humayoon Azizi has refused any link with the Taliban regime. With a handful of agents, he ensures diplomatic activity relying on his own means.

Silence reigns at the Embassy of Afghanistan, in the very chic 16th arrondissement of Paris. At the windows of the somewhat decrepit mansion, curtains of white tulle move softly, like ghosts. “Before the return of the Taliban to Kabul, we were twenty-fivesays Bakhshir, the ambassador’s assistant, welcoming us. Today, we are only nine, with three diplomats».

It was a year ago. On August 15, 2021, President Ashraf Ghani, driven out by the Taliban, fled to the United Arab Emirates. By decreeing the return of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, the Islamist warriors hoisted in Kabul the white flag emblazoned with the black chahada, the profession of faith in Islam. The following day, in Paris, His Excellency Mohammad Humayoon Azizi gathered his advisers in his vast Louis XVI office. “We didn’t even hesitate», raconte the consul Maria Akhtari. “It was out of the question to close the embassy».

Only three diplomats

Since then, the flag erected in front of the representation…

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