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Thorsten Schäfer‑Gümbel Defends GIZ Withdrawal from Yemen
GIZ board spokesperson Thorsten Schäfer‑Gümbel said the agency is pulling out of Yemen, citing safety after arbitrary arrests of UN personnel and a 2013 terrorist attack that killed three GIZ employees.
He noted that a multi‑million‑euro fraud investigation is underway in GIZ projects in Yemen and that the agency has tightened its risk assessment, increased staff rotation and introduced a new SAP system worldwide.
GIZ will close several German locations – the Bonn‑Kottenforst academy, the Feldafing site and smaller offices in Düsseldorf and Magdeburg – by the end of 2027, while retaining its main Bonn and Eschborn sites and temporarily housing UNDP staff relocated to Bonn at the request of the German Foreign Office.
Entities
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) · Germany · Thorsten Schäfer‑Gümbel · United Nations · Yemen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ will temporarily house UNDP staff relocated to Bonn at the request of the German Foreign Office. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Thorsten Schäfer‑Gümbel, GIZ board spokesperson, defended the agency's withdrawal from Yemen. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ is investigating fraud involving millions of euros in its Yemen projects. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] A 2013 terrorist attack in Yemen killed three GIZ employees, after which international staff left the country. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ will close the Bonn‑Kottenforst academy, the Feldafing site, and smaller offices in Düsseldorf and Magdeburg by the end of 2027. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ categorises Sudan and Afghanistan as red or dark‑red risk countries and reviews them annually. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ cited arbitrary arrests of UN personnel in rebel‑held areas as a reason for its withdrawal from Yemen. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] GIZ has tightened its risk assessment, increased staff rotation, and is implementing a new SAP system globally. www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · www.nachrichten-heute.net · www.oldenburger-onlinezeitung.de