Grammy winner The Weeknd is donating $ 1 million to help Ethiopians amid the violence facing the country.
The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, said Sunday that he will make his donation through the UN World Food Program.
During the course of the five-month conflict in Ethiopia, thousands of civilians are believed to have been murdered, raped and abused.
A recent Citizen Free Press investigation found that men dressed in Ethiopian Army uniforms executed unarmed men in Tigray. A BBC-led investigation also published on Thursday corroborated the same massacre near Mahibere Dego, a mountainous area in central Tigray.
On Friday, the Ethiopian government dismissed the evidence for these claims.
“My heart breaks for my people in Ethiopia as innocent civilians, from young children to the elderly, are senselessly murdered and entire villages are displaced by fear and destruction,” said The Weeknd. The artist’s parents, who made the announcement through their Twitter and Instagram, are from Ethiopia.
“I am going to donate US $ 1 million to provide two million meals through the United Nations World Food Program and I encourage those who can to please give as well,” he wrote.
The situation facing Ethiopia
Violence has persisted in Ethiopia since November. At the time, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered attacks against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front after denouncing that they had attacked a federal military base.
The UN announced on March 25 that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission were launching a joint investigation into possible crimes.
The UN World Food Program stated that “the outbreak of the conflict coincided with (Ethiopia’s) peak harvest season, which means jobs and income were lost, markets were disrupted, food prices rose and food prices rose. it made access to money and fuel very difficult. ‘ The Ethiopian government estimated that 4.5 million people need “vital” assistance by the end of this year, the UN reported.
Causes The Weeknd Supports
This is not the first time The Weeknd has contributed to a cause.
The singer donated $ 300,000 to the global Aid for Lebanon campaign last August. The aim was to help the victims of the explosion in Beirut that left more than 200 dead, according to his manager.
Following George Floyd’s death in May, The Weeknd also donated $ 500,000 to racial justice groups. The Black Lives Matter Global Network, Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp, and the National Bail Out Collective received the artist’s support.
The Weeknd also partnered with TikTok for an August 7 livestream that raised more than $ 350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative. The collection was made through the sale of merchandising limited.