Sudan recovers 570 antiquities looted during ongoing conflict

KHARTOUM, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese government on Tuesday announced that it has recovered 570 antiquities that were looted during the country's ongoing armed conflict, marking a significant step in efforts to safeguard Sudan's cultural heritage and historical identity.

Speaking at a ceremony held in Port Sudan to mark the recovery, Graham Abdel Qader, undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism and head of the National Committee for the Protection of Sudanese Culture and Antiquities, described the recovery as "a major national achievement."

He said the artifacts span a wide range of historical periods, from prehistoric times to the modern era. Their return, he noted, is part of a broader national effort to protect cultural heritage and preserve the country's historical legacy.

He said recent inventory reviews revealed losses at several museums, including the Gezira Museum, which lost 68 items out of 408, and the Ethnographic Museum, which reported the same number missing from a collection of 4,600. Around 200 artifacts were also found to be missing from the Khalifa House Museum, while some items remain in the possession of citizens.

Abdel Qader added that the National Museum in Khartoum suffered extensive looting, including its main exhibition hall and secure storage facility, resulting in the loss of an estimated 4,000 artifacts.

He stressed that the remaining collections have since been catalogued, reorganized, and are ready to be displayed again.

Ahmed Junaid Sorosh-Wali, UNESCO's representative in Sudan, said the recovery stands as a model of international cooperation in protecting cultural heritage during armed conflicts.

Since April 2025, Sudan has been working with INTERPOL and UNESCO to recover artifacts that authorities say were smuggled out of the country through two neighboring states.

Numerous museums and archaeological sites across Sudan have been looted or damaged since the conflict began, including the National Museum overlooking the Blue Nile in Khartoum, the Presidential Palace Museum, the Armed Forces Museum, the Khalifa House Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Natural History Museum at the University of Khartoum, and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum in El Fasher, North Darfur.

Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced within the country and across its borders. ■