Sudan’s appointment of a Coptic Christian to the transitional ruling Sovereign Council has raised hopes that Christians will see equal rights after decades of oppression under former president Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan’s Coptic Christians celebrated in September after the first and only Christian, a Copt, was sworn in as a member of the ruling Sovereign Council.
The ethno-religious Copts are indigenous to northeast Africa and, numbering about half a million, one of the largest Christian communities in Sudan.
While the 11-member council will be in power for only a three-year transition to elections, the choice of Raja Nicola Issa Abdul-Masseh is seen by many Christians as a turning point.
Online sources