Khartoum (AFP)

Oppressed under President Omar al-Bashir's rule, Christians in Sudan hope that the political transition marks the beginning of an era of greater religious freedom.

In the maze of dusty alleyways of Omdurman, a city near the capital Khartoum, the church of Youssef Zamgila is still hidden in the courtyard of a house.

It consists of a few iron benches, a pulpit and roughly painted crosses on pillars supporting a wavy roof.

The previous church was destroyed because we did not have the required papers. (The authorities) have always refused (the construction of the church, "says the Lutheran pastor.

Sudan is in the bottom of the international rankings of the Catholic Aid to the Church in Need (AED) Catholic Foundation on Religious Freedom. This, however, was mentioned in the Constitution in force under Mr. Bashir.

According to the authorities, Christians represent only 3% of the 40 million Sudanese, a figure contested by community leaders who consider it higher.

This minority includes Copts, Catholics, Anglicans and other denominations, many of which were pushed underground under the old regime.

Foreign charities helping Sudanese Christians have also been expelled, especially after the secession of the country's mostly Christian south in 2011.

"The authorities thought that churches and Christian associations supported the independence of the South," said Ezekiel Kondo, Anglican Bishop of Khartoum.

"The state has consistently followed a strategy of weakening the church," he says in his office, on the other side of the large church where he officiates, in central Khartoum.

"Our children can not learn about Christianity because the environment in which they bathe is entirely shaped for Muslims," ​​said Jacob Paulus, a 28-year-old teacher from Omdurman.

- Hope -

Brought to power in 1989 by a coup backed by Islamists, President Bashir was deposed in April by the army under the pressure of a new protest movement.

After the signing of an agreement between the generals who succeeded Bashir and the challenge, a transitional body composed of civilians and soldiers was inaugurated on 21 August. Among its 11 members is a Christian, Raja Nicolas Abdel Massih.

In addition, the Constitution adopted to frame the transition, which must last a little over three years, does not consider Islam as a defining characteristic of the state, while the country was under Omar al-Bashir governed by sharia ( Islamic law), introduced in 1983.

"At least now, our leaders recognize Christians as part of this country," said Pastor Mata Boutros Komi. "Christians have prayed for this change for decades, we are happy because this change has happened."

At his side in the makeshift church of Omdurman, Pastor Youssef Zamgila shares this optimism.

"Christians also participated in the demonstrations, they had good reasons (for that), I think the darkest hours are behind us".

This month, Christians demonstrated in Khartoum to claim equal rights, a scene hardly imaginable under Bashir.

- "Islamist mentality" -

But others call for caution. "We are cautiously optimistic," says John Newton, of the UK's AED Foundation. "We were worried when in May the Military Council (having succeeded Mr. Bashir) announced that sharia law would be maintained".

The presence of soldiers who had made a career under Bashir in the new Sovereign Council raised fears that the Sudanese revolution would be short-lived.

Bishop Ezekiel Kondo believes that the priority is to ensure peace in the country, torn apart by rebellions and conflicts in areas populated by non-Arab or non-Muslim minorities.

"A document does not appease the suffering of a people alone," he warns. "For this transition to work, there must be peace, and then all the other important things will happen easily."

Instilled for decades, the "Islamist mentality is still there," he added. For the bishop, everything will depend on the capacity to implement "the principles of transition". If so, "then yes, we will have change."

© 2019 AFP