Grammy Award-winning artist The Weeknd is feeling the plight of his Ethiopian people currently in distress and has announced that he’s donating $1 million to the relief efforts through the UN World Food Programme. Thousands of Ethiopians have been killed, raped and abused during the country’s five-month conflict. The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, was born in Canada and is the son of Ethiopian immigrants. He grew up speaking Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
“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,” he captioned on Instagram and Twitter.
According to the BBC, the violence in Ethiopia has gone on since November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered attacks on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after Ahmed alleged that TPLF 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 would launch a joint investigation into possible crimes.
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