Orbits: Vandalism and looting… the hands of war extend to Sudan’s history and its antiquities

By: Muawad Mustafa Rashid

Sudan National Museum, was subjected to widespread looting and destruction by the Rapid Support Forces, which had occupied the museum since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan and only left it a few days ago.
The aforementioned museum is one of the largest museums in Sudan.
The looting and destruction of artifacts from across the country spanning all historical eras in Sudan, including the Pharaonic, Christian, and Islamic periods, has been extensive.

There are temples, tombs, and statues in the museum’s courtyard. These had previously survived flooding, but they were not spared. After being rescued during the UNESCO international campaign, which lasted from 1960 to 1980, to save the antiquities of the Nubian region, which had been submerged by Lake Nasser as a result of the construction of the High Dam in southern Egypt, they were transported and reassembled around a water basin representing the River Nile, making them appear as if they were in their original location. However, they were finally subjected to looting.
The most important of these antiquities are the temples of Samna East, Samna West, and Buhain, in addition to the tomb of Prince Hajo-Tu-Hotep and the columns of the Cathedral of Faras, which date back to the Christian era in Sudan.

The museum houses more than 100,000 artifacts dating back to ancient Sudanese eras, periods, and civilizations, dating back to 2000 to 1500 BC.
“Nearly 90%” of these artifacts were looted and destroyed, in “one of the most horrific acts of vandalism the country has witnessed,” according to Ghalia Jar El-Nabi, director of the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums.
Among the looted artifacts is a collection dating back to the Karma civilization, which represents the development of culture in the region due to its strategic location along the River Nile, which enabled this civilization to trade with neighboring regions, including ancient Egypt.

The museum also contains colossal statues of the kings of the Kushite civilization, which emerged around 1070 BC. These statues represent the kingdom’s resilience and strength in the face of dominant powers at the time, including Egypt.
At its height, the Kushite Empire extended from the confluence of the Nile Rivers to the Mediterranean Sea, enhancing its regional commercial and cultural importance.
The museum also houses leather, bronze, iron, and wooden artifacts, wall paintings, weapons, sculptures, pottery, decorative objects, and other artifacts from these civilizations.

The museum’s collection of pharaonic mummies is considered among the oldest in the world and dates back to the period of Egyptian colonization in the Nubian region of Sudan, which led to the fusion of cultures and the intertwining of civilizations between the two countries.
In this context, the Sudanese Video-journalist El-Tayeb Siddig who inspected the museum, confirmed in a Facebook post that “after the museum was looted, only three statues remained: the Sudanese lion god Abadmak, the god Amun, and the god of the Nile Valley.”

The looting appears to have been systematic. Jar Elnabi notes that it was “documented through photos sent by unknown individuals showing Sudanese artifacts being sold in South Sudan,” in addition to “their sale online and on black markets in neighboring African countries.”
Jar Elnabi also reveals that “Rapid Support Forces members deliberately destroyed the computers documenting the artifacts in the museums, with the aim of erasing any trace of the institution that preserves the nation’s history.”
Regarding the mechanism for recovering the looted items, she notes that “procedures to recover antiquities are ongoing, through coordination between the Sudanese National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Interpol, and UNESCO.”
She stresses the need to “recover stolen items in accordance with international law if they are offered at public auctions.”
She also expresses her concern about the impact of the loss of antiquities on Sudanese society and culture in the future, noting that “this not only undermines our understanding of who we are, but also hinders the transmission of knowledge and cultural values ​​to our descendants and their role in the world.”

The looting has left a deep sense of grief and sorrow among Sudanese, who view the museum as a symbol of their shared culture and history.
In this context, a Sudanese resident in Lebanon says, “The museum was a destination for Sudanese and tourists,” hoping to “recover the looted heritage as soon as possible.”
These are not the first attacks of their kind targeting museums amid the ongoing conflict in the country.
In addition to Sudan National Museum, several other Sudanese museums have been looted and destroyed, including the Military Museum, and the Beit al-Khalifa Museum, according to a UNESCO report issued on September 12, 2024.

From the Editor

It is high time to launch a global campaign to protect Sudanese antiquities and return their looted items.
In this regard, we can benefit from UNESCO resolutions and laws, as well as some international precedents that criminalize the transfer, smuggling, and sale of antiquities.
These references include the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Illicit Trafficking in Antiquities and Stolen Artifacts.
We can also refer to an important international precedent related to Iraq and Syria, where the UN Security Council issued Resolution No. 2199 of 2015 prohibiting the trade in antiquities from these two countries, which were subjected to looting and theft from museums after the occupation of Iraq and the outbreak of civil war in Syria.
Many countries responded to the resolution, halting large-scale sales, confiscating artifacts, and returning it to the affected countries.

UNESCO and the international community can be approached to take similar decisions. This is a national initiative that does not require the person addressed to hold a specific position or job.
We in The Citizen will continue hammering on the issue until the state can recover those looted antiquities.