Rapper Macklemore canceled a concert in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) alleged support for paramilitary militia groups fighting government forces in Sudan, he told fans.
“The crisis in Sudan is catastrophic,” the Emmy-winning “Thrift Shop” singer, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, wrote in an Instagram post Saturday in which he introduced moral problem and soul searching which caused him to cancel the October 4 show. “I know this will probably jeopardize my future shows in the area, and I really hate to let some of my fans down. I was really excited too. But until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) I won’t perform there.”
Sudan has been at war with itself since April 2023, when tensions between former allies leading the government’s military and paramilitary groups boiled over into actual fighting. The conflict, which initially ignited in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, has since spread across the country, claiming more than 18,800 lives and displace upwards of 10 million people.
West Darfur is particularly targeted, with atrocities against the Masalit people and other non-Arab societies leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing by Human Rights Watch and other organizations. On Friday, the UN warned of a looming second cholera outbreak, on top of ongoing famine.
The United Arab Emirates has been accused of supporting the rapid support forces and its leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of UN experts and human rights groups, which The emirate has denied.
“While many external forces contribute to this crisis, advocates, organizers, journalists and officials repeatedly highlight the UAE’s role in funding the RSF militia as a major factor,” wrote Macklemore, who has also campaigned for besieged Palestinians in Gaza. “At the end of the day, I have to ask myself, what is my purpose as an artist?”
With News Wire Services