Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
has a native
Coptic minority, although many Copts in Sudan are descended from more recent Coptic immigrants from Egypt.
Copts in Sudan live mostly in northern cities, including
Al Obeid,
Atbara,
Dongola
Dongola (), also known as Urdu or New Dongola, is the capital of Northern State in Sudan, on the banks of the Nile. It should not be confused with Old Dongola, a now deserted medieval city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank.
Et ...
,
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan.
Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...
,
Omdurman
Omdurman () is a major city in Sudan. It is the second most populous city in the country, located in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the capital city of Khartoum. The city acts ...
,
Port Sudan
Port Sudan (, Beja: ) is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade. The population of Port Sudan was estimated in ...
, and
Wad Medani.
They number between 400,000-500,000, or slightly over 1% of the Sudanese population.
Due to their advanced education, their role in the life of the country has been more significant than their numbers suggest.
Modern immigration of Copts to Sudan peaked in the early 19th century, and they generally received a tolerant welcome there. However, this was interrupted by a decade of persecution under
Mahdist rule at the end of the 19th century.
As a result of this persecution, many were forced to relinquish their faith, adopt
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, and intermarry with the native Sudanese population. The
Anglo-Egyptian invasion in 1898 allowed Copts greater religious and economic freedom, and they extended their original roles as artisans and merchants into trading, banking, engineering, medicine, and the civil service. Proficiency in business and administration made them a privileged minority.
Today, the
Coptic Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...
in Sudan is officially registered with the government, and is exempt from property tax.
In 2005, the Sudanese government of National Unity (GNU) named a
Coptic Orthodox
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...
priest to a government position.
After the
Sudanese Revolution
The Sudanese revolution () was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 S ...
of 2019, a Coptic Orthodox priest led the inauguration of the new prime minister of Sudan,
Abdalla Hamdok
Abdalla Hamdok Al-Kinani (also transliterated ''Abdallah'', ''Hamdouk'', '' AlKinani''; ; born 1 January 1956) is a Sudanese public administrator who served as the 15th prime minister of Sudan from 2019 to October 2021, and again from November ...
. A Coptic Christian woman,
Raja Nicola, was also appointed to serve in Sudan's new Transitional Council.
Difficulties for Copts in Sudan
Copts have occasionally faced forced conversion to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, resulting in their emigration and decrease in number.
The return of
militant Islam
''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...
in the mid-1960s and subsequent demands by radicals for an
Islamic constitution prompted Copts to join in public opposition to religious rule.
Gaafar Nimeiry
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Gaafar Nimeiry, Jaafar Nimeiry, or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ; 1 January 193030 May 2009) was a Sudanese military officer and politician who served as the fourth president of Sudan, hea ...
's introduction of Islamic
Sharia
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
law in 1983 began a new phase of oppressive treatment of Copts, among other non-Muslims.
After the overthrow of Nimeiry, Coptic leaders supported a secular candidate in the 1986 elections. However, when the
National Islamic Front
The National Islamic Front (NIF; ; transliterated: ''al-Jabhah al-Islamiyah al-Qawmiyah'') was an Islamist political organization founded in 1976 and led by Dr. Hassan al-Turabi that influenced the Sudanese government starting in 1979, and d ...
overthrew the elected government of
Sadiq al-Mahdi
Sadiq al-Mahdi (; 25 December 1935 – 26 November 2020), also known as Sadiq as-Siddiq, was a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989. He was head of the National Um ...
with the help of the military, discrimination against Copts returned in earnest. Hundreds of Copts were dismissed from the civil service and judiciary.
In February 1991, a Coptic pilot working for
Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways () is the national airline of Sudan, headquartered in Khartoum. Since 2012, the company has been fully owned by the Government of Sudan.
One of the oldest African Air carrier, carriers, it was formed in and started scheduled oper ...
was executed for illegal possession of foreign currency.
[The Copts](_blank)
/ref> Before his execution, he had been offered amnesty and money if he converted to Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, but he refused. Thousands attended his funeral, and the execution was taken as a warning by many Copts, who began to flee the country.
Restrictions on the Copts' rights to Sudanese nationality followed, and it became difficult for them to obtain Sudanese nationality by birth or by naturalization, resulting in problems when attempting to travel abroad. The confiscation of Christian schools and the imposition of an Arab-Islamic emphasis in language and history teaching were accompanied by harassment of Christian children and the introduction of hijab
Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
dress laws. A Coptic child was flogged for failing to recite a Koranic verse. In contrast with the extensive media broadcasting of the Muslim Friday prayers
Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...
, the radio ceased coverage of the Christian Sunday service. As the civil war raged throughout the 1990s, the government focused its religious fervour on the south. Although experiencing discrimination, the Copts and other long-established Christian groups in the north had fewer restrictions than other types of Christians in the south
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
.
In 2005, the Sudanese government of National Unity (GNU) named a Coptic Orthodox priest to a government position, though the ruling Islamist party remained dominant. As of 2010, the Coptic Church in Sudan was officially registered with the government, and exempt from property tax.
After the 2018 Sudanese revolution
The Sudanese revolution () was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 S ...
, one Copt ( Raja Nicola Issa Abdul-Masseh) was appointed in 2019 to the 11-member Transitional Sovereignty Council
The Transitional Sovereignty Council () is the collective head of state of Sudan, formed on 21 August 2019, by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. The initial council was dissolved by its Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the ...
, which was convened as part of plan to transition Sudan to democracy. However, a military coup in 2019, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman al-Burhan (; born 11 July 1960) is a Sudanese army general who has been the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Sudan, leader of Sudan since 2019. Following the Sudanese revolution, Sudanese Revolution in Ap ...
and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (born 1974 or 1975), commonly known by the mononym Hemedti, is a Sudanese military officer and the current head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, he was th ...
, dissolved the council and halted the democratic transition. Christians, including Copts, were subjected to intensified persecution during a civil war that began in 2023.[Jayson Casper]
Khartoum Churches Damaged as Sudan Descends Closer to Civil War
''Christianity Today'' (May 2, 2023). Many became refugees or were internally displaced
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
I ...
.[
There were reports as to an attack on 16 December 2023 by ]Rapid Support Forces
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; ) is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government.
RSF ...
militants on a Coptic monastery following which five clergy and four labourers were missing.
In 2023, Fikiru Mehari, an researcher for the Christian charity Open Doors, estimated that about 4% of Sudanese population was Christian; the majority of these were Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and members of the Episcopal Church of Sudan with a "smattering" of Coptic Orthodox and Africa Inland Mission adherents.[Fikiru Mehari]
The fears and vulnerabilities of Christians amid the conflict in Sudan
''The Tablet'' (April 28, 2023).
A 2018 report by the Minority Rights Group
Minority Rights Group (MRG) is an international human rights organisation, headquartered in London, with offices in Budapest and Kampala. The organisation's mission statement is to secure rights for ethnic, national, religious, linguistic mi ...
said Sudanese Copts had previously estimated their numbers at 400,000 to 500,000, about 1% of the Sudanese population, but that emigration and conversion (including forced conversion) to Islam had decreased their number.[
]
Genetics
Hollfelder et al. (2017) analysed various populations in Sudan and observed that Egyptians
Egyptians (, ; , ; ) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to Geography of Egypt, geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretchi ...
and Copts showed low levels of genetic differentiation and lower levels of genetic diversity compared to other northeast African groups, including Arab and Middle Eastern groups that share ancestry with the Copts and Egyptians.The authors concluded that the Copts and the Egyptians have a common history linked to smaller population sizes, and that the Copts have remained relatively isolated since their arrival to Sudan with only low levels of admixture with local northeastern Sudanese groups.
Notable Copts in Sudan
*Bishop Karas
Bishop Karas (born Sorial Ayad Sorial) was the first bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States and the first abbot of the church's first monastery outside Egypt.
Early life
Sorial Ayad Sorial was born on 17 January 1955, in Sud ...
, a Coptic Orthodox bishop born in Sudan.
*Ra'ouf Mus'ad
Ra’ouf Mus'ad (sometimes known as Raouf Moussad-Basta) is a playwright, journalist and novelist who was born in Sudan to Copts in Sudan, Coptic parents from Egypt. He moved to Egypt as a teenager and lived in various countries, both in the Middl ...
, a playwright, journalist and novelist born in Sudan.
* Raja Nicola Eissa Abdel-Masih, a judge and member of Sudan's Sovereignty Council that was sworn in during August 2019.
See also
* Coptic diaspora
*Christianity in Sudan
Christianity in Sudan has a long and rich history, dating back to the early centuries of the Christian era.
Ancient Nubia was reached by Coptic Christianity by the 1st century.
The Coptic Church was later influenced by Greek Christianity, pa ...
*Copts in Egypt
Copts in Egypt refers to Coptic Christians born in or residing in Egypt.
Demographics
As of 2019, Copts were generally estimated to comprise approximately 10 percent of Egypt's population.Michael Wahid HannaExcluded and Unequal: Copts on the M ...
* Copts in Libya
References
{{Demographics of Sudan
Ethnic groups in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
Oriental Orthodoxy in Sudan
Eastern Christianity in Sudan