US rapper Macklemore has announced that he will not perform in Dubai in October following the United Arab Emirates’ alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that is a rival faction of the country’s junta and is currently fighting the Sudanese army.
However, in January, UN experts reported “credible” evidence that the UAE was sending weapons to the RSF from northern Chad several times a week.
“People have continued to ask me to cancel shows and boycott doing business in the UAE in solidarity with the people of Sudan because of their role in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis,” Grammy Award-winner Macklemore said in an Instagram post.
He continued, “I know this will likely affect future shows in the area and I would hate to disappoint my fans.”
“I was really excited too, but I won’t be performing there until the UAE stops supplying weapons and funding to the RSF.”
Sudan was plunged into turmoil in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including Darfur.
More than 18,800 people are estimated to have been killed in the fighting, more than 10 million have been forced from their homes, and hundreds of thousands are on the brink of starvation.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no immediate comment on Macklemore’s public statement on Sunday, nor did the country’s Dubai Media Office.
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Organizers announced last week that the show was cancelled and refunds would be offered, but did not give a reason for the cancellation.
The RSF was formed from Janjaweed fighters under then-President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades until he was overthrown in a 2019 popular uprising.
He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of genocide and other crimes during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.
Unscripted is ITV News’ arts and entertainment podcast, brought to you by ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar. In each episode, Nina speaks to a leading figure in the arts and entertainment world.
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