Saudi, UAE send 540,000 tonnes of wheat to Sudan

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are providing Sudan 540,000 tonnes of wheat to support the country whose president was ousted earlier this year, their state news agencies said on Wednesday.

The amount will cover basic food needs for three months and 280,000 tonnes have already been supplied, Saudi news agency SPA and UAE news agency WAM reported.

The wheat is part of $3bn worth of aid pledged by the two Gulf states in April after president Omar al-Bashir was removed from power.

Saudi and the UAE said they had deposited $500m with the Sudanese central bank and that the rest of the assistance would come in the form of food, medicine and agricultural and petroleum products.

On Sunday, Sudan’s military rulers and the main opposition coalition signed a constitutional declaration, paving the way for a transitional government.