The Kingdom and the UAE called for "stability" and a "peaceful transition" in Sudan The rest will be in the form of food, medicine, and petroleum products RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have granted Sudan $3 billion in support, Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday. The grant includes a $500 million deposit into Sudan"s central bank, in a bid to strengthen its financial position, ease pressure on the Sudanese pound and achieve greater stability in the exchange rate, SPA reported The rest will be in the form of food, medicine, and petroleum products, the report said. In recent years Sudan has been hit by an acute lack of dollars, a key factor behind the nationwide protests that led to the toppling of Al-Bashir by the army this month. The Kingdom and the UAE called for "stability" and a "peaceful transition" in the days following the removal of Al-Bashir. The aid from Saudi Arabia and the Emirates is the first major publicly announced assistance to Sudan from Gulf states in several years. "This is to strengthen its financial position, ease the pressure on the Sudanese pound and increase stability in the exchange rate," the Saudi Press Agency said. Since Al-Bashir"s ousting, the Sudanese pound has steadily strengthened on the black market, and on Sunday it jumped to 45 to the dollar, after trading at 72 at one stage last week. The official exchange rate is 47.5 pounds to the dollar.