The German Red Cross (DRK) sharply condemns the federal government’s cuts to humanitarian aid. “This is truly shocking, short‑sighted and wrong-and a clear breach of the coalition agreement” President Hermann Gröhe told the “Tagesspiegel”. The coalition accord had called for strengthening aid, but about one billion euros have been cut, after aid spending in 2024 was near two billion.
Gröhe links the cuts to a broader public indifference in the face of multiple crises. “There is a danger of desensitisation” he says. “It pains me when I hear people say: ‘Why do you care about Sudan? First help in your own country.’ The DRK, however, works mainly for people at home – from early‑learning centres to ambulance services and care facilities”.
Nevertheless, he stresses the critical need for humanitarian relief for the 300 million people, many of them children, who rely on such aid. “No one thinks Germanis can shoulder all the world’s suffering alone” he argues. “But the values enshrined in our constitution obligate us to provide a contribution that matches our economic strength”.
