The Weeknd Donates $1 Million To Relief Efforts In Ethiopia

The Weeknd will be donating $1 million (£723,000) to help hunger relief efforts in Ethiopia at a time of crisis and ongoing conflict between the government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray region.

The musician, who is of Ethiopian descent, took to Instagram to make the announcement as well as taking the opportunity to encourage others to donate.

He wrote: "My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction.

"I will be donating $1 million to provide 2 million meals through the United Nations World Food Programme and encourage those who can to please give as well.

Both of his parents immigrated to Canada from Ethiopia and The Weeknd - real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye - grew up speaking Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.

PA

Responding to his social media post, one person wrote: "This is awesome. Thank you for caring for our world."

Another added: "Thank you for using your platform for good, this is a very important topic more celebs need to talk about."

The UK and international allies have expressed concerns about reports of human rights abuses and violations of international law in Ethiopia's conflict-hit region of Tigray.

A statement from the G7 - made up of the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU - called for an 'independent, transparent and impartial' investigation into the reported crimes.

The leaders also called for the 'swift, unconditional and verifiable' withdrawal of Eritrean troops fighting alongside Ethiopia in the country's northern region amid the conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

A statement said: "We condemn the killing of civilians, sexual and gender based violence, indiscriminate shelling and the forced displacement of residents of Tigray and Eritrean refugees.

"All parties must exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law."

PA

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) are due to conduct a joint investigation into human rights abuses committed by all parties.

The G7 noted this, adding: "It is essential that there is an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the crimes reported and that those responsible for these human rights abuses are held to account."

The donation link is here.

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

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