Saudi Arabia to finance Sudanese agriculture, dams projects

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia signed four agreements on the funding of Sudanese dams, electricity, irrigation, and agricultural projects.

After Saudi Arabia agreed on financing the projects, President Omar Al Bashir arrived to the Saudi capital of El Riyadh on Tuesday, with a delegation including FA Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, Finance Minister Badreldin Mahmoud, the Minister of Electricity and Water Resources, Muataz Mousa, and military Chief of Staff, Mustafa Osman Obeid.

Following a meeting with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the two governments signed agreements on the finalising of the Kajbar, Dal and El Shireig dams in northern Sudan, the building of a thermal power station in Red Sea state, the improvement of water provision to several rural areas in the country, and an agreement on the cultivation of a million acres of farmland near Atbara in northern Sudan.

Sudanese-Saudi relations improved significantly after Sudan joined the Saudi-led military coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen in March.

Analysts said at the time that Sudan’s involvement in Yemen showed a shift of allegiances toward the Gulf Arab countries instead of Iran, which could bring economic rewards. According to Khartoum, the economic assistance is not linked to its support for the military campaign.

El Riyadh pledged fresh investments in Sudan’s agricultural sector. In July and August, the Central Bank of Sudan received a total of $1 billion from Saudi Arabia.