Looting of 100,000 artifacts from Sudan's National Museum By Al-Dakalo Terrorist militias| Sudanow Magazine

Port Sudan, Sudanow – Sudan is home to numerous archaeological sites dating back to prehistoric times and ancient civilizations, making it one of the world’s most important cultural heritage centers. However, the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the disbanded Rapid Support Forces militia has caused severe damage to the country’s antiquities, which have been looted alongside other national treasures. During a cultural event in Port Sudan, the Attorney General revealed that 20 Sudanese museums had been subjected to looting and destruction.

To assess the extent of the damage to the country’s museums and heritage, Sudanow conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Ikhlas AbdulLatif, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Antiquities and Museums, and Dr. Al-Nazeer Terab, Director of the Sudan Ethnography Museum.

Dr. Ikhlas began by stating: "All the collections of the National Museum, spanning different historical eras—from the Stone Age, through the Kerma, Napata, and Meroe civilizations, to the pre-Christian, Christian, and Islamic periods—have been stolen. Sudan National Museum, which houses over 100,000 artifacts, has been severely impacted."

In June 2023, disbanded (RSF) militias occupied the National Museum, leading to large-scale looting. Tens of thousands of artifacts, including ancient mummies, statues, and pottery, were stolen, with reports indicating they were smuggled toward Sudan’s borders, particularly South Sudan.

Dr. Ikhlas noted that the museum’s storage facilities, which were looted, served as the primary repository for all of Sudan’s antiquities. The destruction was not limited to the National Museum; other museums, including the Ethnography Museum, the Military Museum, and the Presidential Palace Museum in Khartoum, were also vandalized and looted.

Dr. Al-Nazeer Terab explained that "it is currently difficult to accurately assess the damage, especially since the Ethnography Museum is located on University Street in the heart of the capital, an area that witnessed intense violence." He added that the Jazira Museum, Sudan National Museum and the Presidential Palace Museum were recently recovered.

In Omdurman, the Khalifa Abdullah Al-Ta’ayshi Museum was robbed and partially destroyed, with militias plundering its contents, resulting in the loss of priceless cultural artifacts. Two museums in Darfur—the Nyala Museum, where exhibits and display cabinets were stolen, and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum, which suffered heavy artillery damage—were also affected.

Dr. Ikhlas commented: "The Janjaweed targeted the Ali Dinar Museum with artillery shells from a distance, damaging the building and shattering its windows. As the war dragged on, the museum’s garden became overgrown with weeds, leading to fires in nearby areas. We had to clear the site to prevent further disasters."

The looting has fueled a rise in the illicit trade of antiquities, with stolen items appearing for sale on platforms like eBay, prompting UNESCO to warn against purchasing these looted artifacts. Some stolen pieces have been tracked along smuggling routes into South Sudan.

In an effort to salvage what remains, Sudan’s Minister of Culture and Information, Khalid Al-A’isar, met with a British delegation led by Michael Mallinson of the Royal Institute of British Architects on February 26, 2025, to discuss recovering looted artifacts and rehabilitating damaged museums. Al-A’isar revealed that preliminary losses in the culture and heritage sector amounted to $110 million, citing the RSF’s destruction of 20 museums, including the National Museum and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum in El Fasher.

UNESCO expressed deep concern over the systematic looting of Sudan’s heritage, warning that it poses a grave threat to the country’s historical identity. Meanwhile, individuals like Fawziya Khalid have taken personal initiatives to protect sites such as the Meroe Pyramids.

The organization "Heritage for Peace" launched an initiative in 2023 to document the damage and advocate for the protection of cultural sites, while the Royal Institute of British Architects has contributed to rehabilitating 12 museums.
Friends of Sudanese Museums Association is also conducting field visits to develop strategic plans for reconstruction.

The looting of Sudanese museums strikes a blow to the nation’s collective memory, but local and international efforts continue to salvage what remains of this heritage.

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