Sudan to seek Interpol, UNESCO help to recover looted artifacts
April 1, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s government plans to contact Interpol and UNESCO to recover artifacts smuggled through two neighbouring countries during the ongoing conflict, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The National Museum in Khartoum, which overlooks the Blue Nile, was looted of all but one artifact while the site was under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the ministry said. The Sudanese army recaptured the area last March.
The RSF has been fighting the army since April 2023 in a conflict that has devastated parts of the country.
“The Government of Sudan will continue its efforts with UNESCO, Interpol, and organizations concerned with the protection of museums and antiquities, to recover the artifacts looted from the National Museum and other museums, and to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that archaeological items from the National Museum were smuggled via two neighbouring countries and called on the international community to condemn the actions of the RSF “and those behind them”.
It accused the RSF and “its regional sponsor”, referring to the United Arab Emirates, of destroying the National Museum and looting collections representing 7,000 years of civilisation.
The ministry added that RSF forces also targeted the Khalifa House Museum, the Republican Palace Museum, the Armed Forces Museum, the Ethnography Museum, the Natural History Museum at the University of Khartoum, and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum in Al-Fashir, North Darfur.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims. The RSF has previously denied looting and accusations of widespread human rights abuses. The UAE has previously denied sponsoring the RSF.
The foreign ministry statement noted that attacks on cultural heritage constitute war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute and the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and that UNESCO prohibits trafficking in cultural property.
The ministry asserted that the RSF’s targeting of the National Records Office, libraries, universities, and historic mosques and churches in Wad Madani and Khartoum demonstrated a “plan to erase the national cultural identity.”
It said the army’s recapture of parts of Khartoum revealed RSF atrocities, citing “mass graves containing thousands killed among hostages and prisoners in torture centres.”
According to the ministry, thousands of detainees in RSF custody suffered torture, lack of healthcare, and scarcity of food and water, leading to hundreds of deaths.
It added that video clips published by army soldiers after prisoners were released showed bodies “barely able to move as a result of starvation, torture, and mistreatment.”