News from Berlin - Five days ago the Northern province of Badakhshan in Afghanistan suffered a landslide. According to local officials, more than 2,100 people from 300 families are victims of this catastrophe, along with a huge amount of missing persons.

The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) gave an official announcement yesterday, May 6th, declaring itself ready to help the region with reconstruction and emergency management. According the Minister Gerd Müller, the Government will give assistance to Afghan people in need, with a total amount of one million Euros, alongside the 250 million euros that is given each year by Germany for the civil development of Afghanistan.

Many areas lack food and clean water, and experts are considering the dangers of other catastrophes, like earthquakes, inundations and aridity, that are likely to happen in Afghanistan’s northern regions. The incidents over the last few years have indicated how vulnerable Afghanistan is to natural disasters and how the country needs to be equipped for managing natural disasters. The NATO International Security Assistance Force is also providing humanitarian aid to the disaster areas.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global