Traffic and looting, Sudan’s thousand-year-old heritage is increasingly suffering from civil war

In the heart of Sudan ravaged by civil war, the country’s archaeological treasures have become collateral victims. Since April 15, 2023, a civil war between the regular army and a militia called the “Rapid Support Forces (RSF)”, led by General Hemetti, has ravaged Sudan. RSF fighters, supported today by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group, have seized historical sites and their collections, endangering the country’s cultural heritage.

A report from Liberation published Friday January 24, highlights the fragility of this heritage in the face of ambient chaos.

Built between 290 BC and 350 AD, the fifteen pyramids of Meroe are today deserted by visitors. Symbol of the glorious past of the black pharaohs, this UNESCO world heritage site is now threatened. Like in Khartoum, the capital, which is torn by fighting, where the Sudanese National Museum was stormed by the RSF. The place housed major pieces: steles, statues and jewelry from ancient sites in the country. The Sudanese army has regained ground in the city in recent months, but the museum remains inaccessible, specifies Célian Macé, special correspondent for Liberation, who devoted a report to the subject.

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According to testimonies collected, the Khalifa House Museum, located in Omdurman opposite the tomb of religious leader Muhammad Ahmad, was occupied by the RSF and ransacked. Ancient weapons, coins, and even a historic tunic have disappeared. The looting does not stop there. In June 2023, the RSF filmed their intrusion into an anthropology laboratory containing mummies. Several objects, including a throne and funerary dolls, have already been offered to fences on the black market, sometimes heading to Libya or Egypt.

An international struggle to preserve heritage

Faced with this alarming situation, UNESCO called, in September 2024, on the international community to « do everything possible to protect Sudanese heritage ». She has since set up a committee to track down stolen works and raise awareness in neighboring countries about artifact trafficking. Training has been launched for customs officers and police officers from border countries in order to stop smuggling. However, mobilization remains insufficient. As recalled Liberationonly five Sudanese documents are currently listed in the Interpol database, a paltry figure given the scale of the looting.

French President Emmanuel Macron called in December 2024 on the belligerents in Sudan to « lay down your arms » after a year and a half of a war which ravaged the country, believing that the only possible path is that “ceasefire, negotiation”. But the civil war continues to destroy and Sudanese cultural heritage remains one of the last priorities in this conflict, in an attempt to preserve a collective memory.