Rapper Macklemore told fans he canceled a show in Dubai because of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) alleged support for paramilitary groups fighting Sudanese government forces.
“The crisis in Sudan is devastating,” the Emmy-winning “Thrift Shop” singer, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, wrote in an Instagram post Saturday, explaining the moral dilemma and soul-searching that led him to cancel his Oct. 4 performance. “I know this will jeopardize my future performances in the region and I would hate to disappoint my fans, who I was very excited to be with, but I will not be performing there until the UAE stops providing arms and funding to the Rapid Relief Forces (RSF).”
Sudan has been in a state of civil war since April 2023, when tensions between government forces and former allies leading paramilitary forces escalated into actual fighting. The conflict initially erupted in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, before spreading across the country, leaving more than 18,800 people dead and displacing more than 10 million people.
The West Darfur region has been particularly targeted, with atrocities against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing by groups such as Human Rights Watch. The United Nations warned on Friday that a second cholera epidemic is looming, on top of the ongoing famine.
United Nations experts and rights groups have accused the UAE of backing the Rapid Relief Force and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a charge the UAE denies.
“While many outside forces have contributed to this crisis, advocates, organizers, journalists and officials repeatedly point to the UAE’s role in funding the RSF militia as a major contributing factor,” wrote Macklemore, who is also an advocate for besieged Palestinians in Gaza. “Ultimately, I must ask myself: What are my intentions as an artist?”
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