Sudan: Christian woman part
of transitional ruling council
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| Sudanese women and men celebrate the signing of the power-sharing agreement (AFP) |
Sudan’s generals and protest leaders agree to name a Coptic
Orthodox woman to the 11-member transitional ruling council.
By Devin Watkins
Aisha Musa Saeed was announced as the 11th member
of Sudan’s Sovereign Council on Tuesday.
Both generals and protest leaders agreed on the Coptic
Christian woman’s nomination to the ruling body, made up of 6 civilians and 5
soldiers. The council, which was sworn in on Wednesday, will govern Sudan for a
little over 3 years until elections are held.
Ms Musa is a judge who also studied as a translator at the
University of Leeds in the UK.
A spokesman for the now-disbanded transitional military
council (TMC) announced the names at a press conference late Tuesday.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who headed to the TMC
following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in April, will lead the
Sovereign Council for 21 months. At that point, a civilian leader appointed by
protest leaders will take over for the remaining 18 months.
Christians' role in protests
The decision to add a Coptic woman to the council could be
viewed as a nod to the role Christians played in the protest movement.
On 10 April 2019, the day before the military arrested
Bashir, the Sudanese Professionals Association called on Christians to take
part in the protests, saying they had suffered “sectarian and psychological
restrictions for years”.
A few days later, several Protestant church leaders began
showing up at a sit-in outside the military headquarters, urging both
Christians and Muslims to sing hymns.
Persecution of Christians
Under Bashir’s 30-year rule, Christians faced persecution
and harsh treatment. Open Doors, a US-based NGO, ranks Sudan 6th in
its 2018
list of nations where it is hardest to be a Christian.
After South Sudan gained independence in 2011 – taking with
it most of Sudan’s Christians – President Bashir led a crackdown on those
remaining in the country.
Many Christian churches were burned, and dozens of others
were demolished by the government as “unlicensed buildings”. No licenses were
granted for new churches after 2013.
Christians make up about 4.6% of Sudan’s population of 43
million, according to the World Christian Database.
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