In a new development, all staff members of the Afghan Consulate in Bonn, Germany, led by Hamid Nangiali Kabiri, have resigned from their posts. The collective resignation came in protest against Germany’s decision to accept two Taliban-appointed envoys as diplomats, one of whom is expected to serve at the Bonn consulate.
In a video message, Kabiri stated that since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, the Bonn consulate had maintained professional independence and safeguarded Afghan citizens’ documents and personal information without ever handing them over to the Taliban. He warned that placing the consulate under Taliban appointees—representing a group with no domestic or international legitimacy—could jeopardize the security of sensitive Afghan records.
Kabiri emphasized that the host country’s decision runs contrary to human rights principles and diplomatic norms. He said all consulate members refused to continue serving under such conditions, framing their resignation as both a rejection of Taliban legitimacy and a protest against appeasement policies pursued by some governments.
According to Kabiri, all official assets, equipment, vehicles, documents, and property of the Bonn mission belonging to the Afghan people have been handed over to Germany’s Foreign Ministry for safekeeping under the 1961 and 1963 Vienna Conventions.
The episode once again raises the critical question of how the international community should engage with the Taliban, a group widely accused of human rights abuses.
