Macklemore cancels Dubai show over UAE’s role in Sudan

US rapper Macklemore has cancelled his upcoming show in Dubai due to concerns over the UAE's alleged involvement in the conflict in Sudan.

In a statement shared on social media, Macklemore, who was set to perform on 4 October at the Coca-Cola Arena, announced his decision not to perform in the UAE until the country ceases its reported arming of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

“While many external forces play a role in this crisis, advocates, organisers, journalists, and officials consistently point to the UAE’s funding of the RSF militia as a key factor,” Macklemore stated. He added that his decision was influenced by numerous requests from people urging him to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people, describing the situation as “urgent, horrific, and largely overlooked by the world".

The UAE has repeatedly denied any involvement in the conflict, despite mounting evidence. In July, reports surfaced that Emirati passports connected to RSF soldiers had been found in the city of Omdurman, which the Sudanese army had recently taken back from the militia. 

The ongoing war in Sudan has created the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis, with more than 10 million people forced from their homes. Of these, two million have fled to neighbouring countries. 

Last week, Sudan’s army removed restrictions imposed in February on aid trucks moving into the famine-stricken Darfur region through the Adré crossing in neighbouring Chad. Adré provides the most direct route into Darfur but was sealed off by the army because it doesn’t want aid going into a region controlled by the RSF.

Famine was declared in Darfur earlier this month by the Famine Review Committee, which is part of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – a system for measuring food crises that includes UN agencies, aid groups, and governments. The declaration is the IPC’s first in over seven years and only the third since the system was designed 20 years ago.

As the international aid response remains restricted, host families are shouldering much of the burden. Over 50% of displaced households are being supported by friends, relatives, or even strangers. Nearly eight million people remain displaced within Sudan, with many relying on these makeshift networks for survival. For more about the host families in Sudan, read: