Fazzoletto rosso. Red Scarf

In August 2021, as the Taliban took control of Kabul, NOVE’s office was flooded with hundreds of evacuation requests, particularly from Afghan women in danger: activists, politicians, government employees, and staff from local NGOs.

When TRUST Nel Nome della Donna made a free flight available with Electra Airways, NOVE launched Fazzoletto Rosso (Red Scarf): an evacuation operation carried out by our Italian-Afghan staff and volunteers, in coordination with the Comando Operativo di Vertice Interforze (Operation Aquila Omnia) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Evacuating more than 400 terrified civilians, mostly women and children, while defying the nighttime curfew and bypassing Taliban checkpoints seemed impossible for a small NGO. Yet we succeeded.

After organizing people into small groups, we guided them via WhatsApp and Telegram to prearranged meeting points and from there to the airport, with support from the Afghan diaspora translating instructions. Tens of thousands of fleeing people were crowded outside the airport. Gates would open without warning, for only a few moments. Those who reached one had to wait in total uncertainty for hours or days, without food or water. Phones ran out of battery, and communication became increasingly difficult.

NOVE had sent the list of people to be evacuated to the Italian soldiers stationed inside the airport—the Tuscania Carabinieri. But identifying them in that chaos was impossible. So we instructed those on our lists to display a sign of recognition: a red scarf. When the Carabinieri saw Amina, a NOVE employee, waving a red scarf, they sent us a photo and, upon receiving our confirmation, opened the gate to let her in. Amina refused to stay safe inside: she had the courage to go back outside, multiple times, alongside the Carabinieri, to identify and bring in everyone else from her group.

Civilian flights could not land in Kabul; an air bridge was required. An Italian Air Force aircraft transported all the people assisted by NOVE to Kuwait City over several days, from where one of our volunteers accompanied them to Rome aboard the flight provided by TRUST Nel Nome della Donna.

In this way, more than 400 people at risk were evacuated by NOVE, which then continued to support them in Italy, accelerating asylum procedures and launching dedicated projects such as Oltre l’Accoglienza (https://novecaringhumans.org/progetti/oltre-laccoglienza/), Safe Space (https://novecaringhumans.org/progetti/safe-space/), and Con i Bambini Afghani (https://novecaringhumans.org/nessuno/con-i-bambini-afghani/).

Three days after the last person assisted by NOVE departed, an attack at Kabul airport killed more than 180 people waiting to flee.

Press coverage excerpts:

• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/afghan-italian-taliban-afghans-rome-b1908007.html

• https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-us-news-08-30-21#h_e1faba9acdb9fa373068678e5db0cea2

• https://www.newarab.com/features/afghans-italy-fear-their-compatriots-left-behind

• https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/mondo/2021/08/29/afghanistan-nove-onlus-lancia-operazione-fazzoletto-rosso_54d6810c-e0bd-4760-a9e3-7d1a3f6a6dfb.html

Afghanistan and Italy – August 2021

Donor: TRUST Nel Nome della Donna