Saudi Arabia denies report it voiced support for Sudan protests

Saudi Arabia has denied a report that one of its top envoys voiced support for demonstrations in Sudan that have rocked the country over the past three weeks.

The official SPA news agency said in a statement on Wednesday that statements attributed to the Saudi ambassador to Egypt by a Palestinian news website were "fake and untrue".

"He did not make a statement on the recent situations in the Republic of Sudan or any other issues," it said.

Earlier in the day, SAWA news agency reported that Ambassador Osama Nqali had broken Riyadh's silence on the deadly protests and expressed support for the movement against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.

"King Salman is paying great attention to the aspirations of the Sudanese people and praises their patience during the difficult times they have gone through," the report quoted Nqali as saying.

"Saudi Arabia is not concerned about who is running the country but rather about the dignity of the people and achieving their aspirations," Nqali was also quoted as saying.

He reportedly also warned the Bashir government against using excessive force against protesters and urged it to respect their right to free speech.

Angry demonstrators have taken to the streets since last month after a government decision to triple the price of bread at a time when the country faces an acute shortage of foreign currency and 70 percent inflation.

Saudi Arabia has so far not voiced support for Bashir - unlike Gulf nations Qatar and Bahrain.

Riyadh has long given financial support to Khartoum, and Bashir sought to further strengthen ties by sending troops to fight alongside a Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen.

Analysts believe the silence suggests anger over Bashir's simultaneous close ties to the Saudis' regional rivals - Iran, Turkey and Qatar - in an apparent attempt to play the sides against each other to extract more from them.

Sudanese authorities have so far confirmed at least 19 deaths during the protests including two security personnel during the demonstrations, but Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 40, including children. Two more deaths were reported on Wednesday as protests continued.