20260515 Hilfsorganisationen ohne Geld

15.05.2026 Hilfsorganisationen ohne Geld

German government cuts funding for civilian sea rescue

Although nearly 1,000 people have already lost their lives in the Mediterranean alone this year, the German government has unexpectedly and completely cut the funds that had been firmly allocated for civilian sea rescue. This is more than inhumane and represents a significant regression from the standards of recent decades. On the other hand, it is throwing money around freely on weapons and the military.

As the NGO SOS Humanity writes to us, funding is also being cut across the entire humanitarian sector. This has left the organization itself facing a dramatic funding shortfall of 2.1 million euros. As a result, the rescue ships Humanity 1 and Humanity 2 must remain in port. This costs lives every day, because often the civilian rescuers are the only ones still providing aid at sea.

Meanwhile, Libyan coast guard vessels are even firing on rescue ships. The Israeli navy has also seized private aid convoys in international waters in the middle of the Mediterranean and abducted the passengers. This constitutes a violation of international rules of humanitarian law and maritime rescue.

A single day of operation for the Humanity 1 currently costs 11,700 euros. Together, we can make a difference right now and close the gap created by the drastic cuts, writes SOS Humanity, asking for donations via Betterplace.org

Read more https://sos-humanity.org/