By Garang Malak

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Juba

The US government has fulfilled its November pledge of providing 65,000 tonnes of wheat to the Republic of Sudan.

In a press statement seen by The East African on Thursday, United States Agency for International Development said the $20 million grant donated to Sudanese people through the UN food agency, World Food Programme, would help in the alleviation of wheat shortage.

“This donation will help alleviate a significant shortage of affordable wheat as the Sudanese people face growing needs because of a challenging economy, historic floods earlier this year, and the pandemic of Covid-19.

“United States recognises the essential leadership role of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in delivering this important assistance to the people of Sudan. Sudan’s civilian-led Transitional Government will use the wheat to help reduce shortages of low-cost flour and bread in the greater Khartoum area,” reads the press statement.

According to the US government, the agreement is part of its robust assistance in Sudan, which totalled nearly $437 million in humanitarian assistance in fiscal Year 2020.

The total assistance included $32 million and $50 million pledged to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and development funding, respectively.

“The Sudanese Transitional Government has reformed laws and state institutions to represent and respond better to the Sudanese people, and engaged in difficult negotiations with armed groups to sign a peace agreement in October.

“These efforts demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ending terrorism and decades of violence and corruption in Sudan. The US looks forward to a new era of cooperation with the Transitional Government, civil society, and the private sector in Sudan to bring stability and prosperity to the Sudanese people,” the US government said.