Saudi Arabia, UAE to send $3 billion in aid to Sudan

A Sudanese protester waves a national flag as he arrives a mass protest in front of the Defence Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan, April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said on Sunday they had agreed to send Sudan $3 billion worth of aid, throwing a lifeline to the country's new military leaders after protests led to the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir.

The two Gulf Arab countries will deposit $500 million with the Sudanese central bank and send the rest in the form of food, medicine and petroleum products, their state news agencies said in parallel statements.