Invaluable archaeological treasures in Sudan are being looted from museums, with thieves loading statues and ancient palace fragments onto trucks, smuggling them out of the war-torn country, and selling them online.
More than a year of conflict between rival military factions has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and left Sudan’s prized antiquities vulnerable to plunder.
UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation, has reported that the threat to Sudan’s cultural heritage had reached an alarming level, with museums, archaeological sites, and private collections being looted.
The Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, recently renovated, has suffered the theft of some of its most valuable artefacts, according to archaeologists and officials. The museum houses a vast collection, including prehistoric items from the Palaeolithic era, treasures from the ancient site of Kerma in northern Sudan, and Nubian and Pharaonic pieces.
The museum, which first opened in 1971, was originally founded to preserve artefacts rescued from areas that were to be submerged by Egypt’s Aswan dam. Now, its collections are at risk due to the ongoing conflict.
“The Sudan National Museum has experienced significant looting,” said Ikhlas Abdel Latif, head of museums at the national antiquities authority.
The full extent of the looting remains unclear, as the museum is located in a part of the capital controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whom officials and experts accuse of orchestrating the theft. While the RSF has claimed to be protecting Sudan’s cultural heritage, it has yet to comment on the allegations.
Throughout history, looting has been a common means of funding war efforts, and experts fear the same is happening in Sudan. UNESCO has urged the public and the global art market to refrain from trading in looted Sudanese items and is planning training sessions for law enforcement in Egypt for neighbouring countries to combat the trafficking of these artefacts.
Among the sites at risk is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Meroe, home to the ancient Kingdom of Kush and its pyramids. Additionally, artefacts have been stolen from museums in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, and part of the Khalifa House museum in Omdurman has also been destroyed.
Experts have raised concerns after discovering looted artefacts being sold online. Items resembling Sudanese antiquities have appeared on auction sites such as eBay, with some pieces listed for just a few hundred dollars. While it has been challenging to verify their authenticity, experts believe many of these objects originated from the National Museum in Khartoum.