Sudanese protesters called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to "keep their money" a day after Riyadh and Abu Dhabi offered to send Khartoum $3 billion aid.
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Hours after the oil-rich Gulf states made the announcement on Sunday, demonstrators outside Sudan's military headquarters in the capital started chanting, "We don't want Saudi support", Al-Jazeera reported.
"They are lobbying and using money to try and control Sudan. We have enough resources to look after ourselves and our interests," Adil Gasem Alseed, a trader, told Al-Jazeera on Monday.
"We can rebuild our country without their help. We say thank you, please keep your money," the 52-year-old said.
Other protesters added that Sudan needed good leadership and not foreign aid.
"We have the resources. With good leadership, we can look after our country," Hanan Alsadiq, a university student, told Al-Jazeera.
"The timing of their aid says a lot about their intentions. Why did they wait until now? Why did they not call on Omar al-Bashir to stop when he was killing our people. Their money will only create problems for us," Alsadiq, who was born in Saudi Arabia, noted.
The military removed al-Bashir earlier this month after months of anti-government protests during which dozens of people were killed.
The two [Persian] Gulf countries, in a joint statement, said $500mln would be deposited in Sudan's central bank to "ease the pressure on the Sudanese pound and achieve more stability in the exchange rate".
The rest of the aid money will be sent in the form of food, medicines and fuel derivatives, the statement added.
Many demonstrators at the sit-in said they suspected the two countries of trying to influence the ruling military transitional council with the aid. ■
An upper level high pressure system is expected to continue aiding well above average and potentially dangerous temperatures throughout the West into the first full weekend of September.