Sudan official accuses RSF of looting gold, destroying artifacts at national museum
The statue of King Taharqa stands as the sole remaining piece in a hall stripped of its antiquities.
March 27, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The director of Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), Ghalia Garelnabi, said on Thursday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stole all archaeological gold from the National Museum in Khartoum amid widespread destruction.
A video clip published two days ago by the Sudan Tribune from inside the museum showed a comprehensive looting of contents that chronicled Sudan’s centuries of history.
The National Museum, opened in 1971 overlooking the Blue Nile, houses artifacts documenting all periods of Sudanese civilisation, from the Stone Age through the Nubian and Christian eras to the Islamic period.
Garelnabi told Sudan Tribune the assailants stole archaeological treasures and seized preserved gold after breaking its locks.
She said that in a scene reflecting systematic destruction, they deliberately threw remaining artifacts onto the ground and crushed them underfoot, suggesting the goal was not just theft but “the obliteration of identity and the erasure of Sudan’s history.”
A statue of King Taharqa is believed to be the only significant artifact untouched, likely due to its size and weight of about seven tonnes.
The statue was moved 20 metres inside the museum in mid-January 2023 as part of a development plan funded by a $1 million Italian grant. The plan involved NCAM, UNESCO, international agencies, and private companies.
It was the statue’s fifth move in 2,700 years. Taharqa was a prominent king of the 25th Dynasty of the Kingdom of Kush.
Archaeology specialists described the RSF’s assault on the museum as a “historical catastrophe by all measures,” telling Sudan Tribune that about 90% of the holdings were destroyed in one of the worst acts of looting and vandalism the country has seen.
‘TOTAL DESTRUCTION’
Garelnabi said vandalism extended to NCAM buildings, where furniture and equipment, including computers documenting museum pieces, were destroyed in an apparent attempt to erase institutional records.
A preliminary assessment by a specialised committee found extensive destruction, with tampering affecting almost everything, she added.
Sudanese officials previously told Sudan Tribune they were tracking stolen artifacts, especially those thought to have passed through South Sudan or other borders.
After the Sudanese Armed Forces arrived at the museum complex, a Sudan Tribune correspondent this week saw devastating losses, reporting that Sudan had lost a swathe of its history embodied in cultural artifacts after the main storerooms were looted.
Ikhlas Abdel Latif, head of a committee for recovering Sudanese artifacts, previously told Sudan Tribune the RSF heavily looted the museum.
Abdel Latif confirmed artifacts were transported by truck via Omdurman towards western Sudan and the borders, particularly South Sudan.
A Ministry of Culture official confirmed Sudan had formally asked Juba to track stolen artifacts, prevent their transfer and sale, and to confiscate them, but has not yet received a response.
Other museums were also looted and destroyed, including the Nyala Museum in Darfur, which was stripped of its holdings, furniture and display cases. The Khalifa House Museum in Omdurman was also looted and damaged.
The National Museum’s storerooms are the central repository for Sudanese antiquities.
Months ago, criminal investigators in River Nile state arrested 10 foreigners trying to smuggle artifacts stolen from the National Museum and Nyala Museum, officials said at the time. The items seized included two rare statues, seven copper jugs, a dagger, and a pestle.
During the conflict between the army and RSF, the Sultan Ali Dinar Palace and Museum in El Fasher were shelled by the RSF, causing large parts of the palace to burn and destroying contents, officials said.
Three months ago, the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO urged the public and art traders globally to refrain from acquiring or trading cultural property from Sudan. UNESCO confirmed that major collections from the Khalifa House Museum and the Nyala Museum were reported stolen.
Archaeology experts have expressed fears about potential damage to large statues in the National Museum due to fighting.
UNESCO confirms that 10 museums and cultural centres in Sudan have been looted or damaged since the war began in April 2023.