Cairo: Saudi Arabia and the UAE will send more than 50,000 tons of agricultural nutrients in urgent aid to Sudan to save its farming season, a Saudi official said on Sunday.
A ship carrying the fertilisers and other farm supplies will shortly sail from the kingdom’s Jubail Industrial Port to the Port Sudan off Khartoum, the unnamed official said, according to the Saudi news agency.
“This support comes at direct directives from leaders of the two countries, continuing the brotherly positions that back the brotherly people of Sudan in their current crisis and [is aimed at] alleviating the burden on the Sudanese peasants, considering that agriculture is a main source of income for Sudan,” the official added.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have stepped up their assistance to Sudan in recent months since the army deposed veteran ruler Omar Al Bashir in April in response to months-long street protests against his regime.
In April, the UAE and Saudi Arabia offered $3 billion in aid to help revive Sudan’s ailing economy. The sum included $500 million in a deposit at Sudan’s central bank to shore up its local pound.
