Saudi Gazette report

LONDON — Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor at the Royal Court and supervisor general of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), said that Saudi Arabia has been, and still is, one of the most significant donor countries of Sudan, and has so far provided Sudan with more than $1.2 billion.

He said this while addressing the High-Level Roundtable Meeting on Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, hosted here by the United Kingdom, Sweden and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Dr. Al-Rabeeah said that the strong historic ties between the two countries make the Kingdom supporting Sudan and its people an urgent priority.

“The Kingdom, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates, supported Sudan by announcing on April 21, 2019 a package of joint aid worth $3billion, including $500 million as a deposit in the Central Bank of Sudan,” he said.

Dr. Al-Rabeeah noted that the KSRelief’s plan for 2020 included carrying out of a number of medical campaigns in Sudan, including two medical campaigns to combat blindness and the diseases causing it, at a cost of $750,000, and two medical campaigns, the first for heart surgery and catheters at a cost of $1.5 million, and the second urology surgery at a cost of $1.5 million as the Kingdom was keen to provide direct support to Sudan in the economic field to achieve political stability.

He said that the Kingdom also supports the international efforts to hold a Donors’ Conference on Sudan in 2020 so as to achieve the largest amount of funding to help the people of Sudan to overcome the current difficult phase.

He called on the international community to support humanitarian efforts and development plans to achieve Sudan’s economic recovery.