Saudi Arabia and UAE provide $3 billion to Sudan

Demonstrators have denounced Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) move to provide three billion Dollars to strengthen the financial position of Sudan.

The two countries will provide a joint package of assistance to Sudan amounting to three billion US Dollars, including $ 500 million provided as a deposit in the Central Bank of the Sudan to strengthen and ease the pressure on the Sudanese Pound and to achieve greater stability in the exchange rate.

The rest of the amount is designated to meeting the urgent needs of the Sudanese people, including food, medication, and petroleum derivatives.

According to a UAE press release, this support comes in the wake of popular uprisings which saw the overthrow of Omar Al Bashir’s presidency on April 11.

Demonstrators at an ongoing sit-in outside Sudan's military headquarters have called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to "keep their money." Chants of "we don't want Saudi support” could be heard last night.

According to Al Jazeera, many demonstrators at the sit-in said they suspected the two countries of trying to influence the new rulers with the aid.

Sudan's head of the Interim Military Council, Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, was the head of the country's ground troops when the government sent soldiers to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels.

‘Egypt to mediate’

El Burhan announced yesterday that an initiative is being led by Egypt to prevent putting Sudan on the African Union’s ban list, during a 48-hour visit by the Chairperson of the Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to Khartoum.

The Chairperson took the opportunity of his visit to reiterate the African Union solidarity with the people of Sudan and "support to their yearning for democracy, good governance and well-being". He stressed the need for "all Sudanese stakeholders, in this particular juncture, to continue to show a high sense of responsibility and to place the interests of Sudan above any other consideration."

In the extensive TV interview, the TMC Chairman thanked the African Union for its cooperation with the Interim Military Council, disclosing the presence of the chairman of the African Union’s Commission, Moussa Fekki, in Khartoum to get assured on normalcy of the situation and that “what has happened was a response to the people’s desire and not a coup”.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, the African Union Peace and Security Council has called on the Sudanese army to hand over power to a civilian government within two weeks: if it fails to do so, it will block the country’s membership to the AU.

Delegation to US

El Burhan also announced that a delegation will leave in the current or next week for Washington, at the request of the US administration, to deliberate about removing the name of Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, and said he has expected a breakthrough in this regard.