Sudanese authorities have recovered more than 570 artefacts looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country’s ongoing war. The collection, including ancient figurines, ornate vases, and amulets, was displayed under heavy security at a ceremony in Port Sudan on Tuesday.
The National Museum, home to some of Sudan’s most significant archaeological collections, was looted and severely damaged after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the capital early in its conflict with the Sudanese army. At the time, satellite imagery reportedly showed trucks transporting artefacts toward the Darfur region, which is now entirely under RSF control.
Following months of investigation in collaboration with UNESCO and Interpol, a portion of the stolen items was successfully retrieved. However, authorities did not provide specific details on the recovery operation.
“Sudan heritage is not only of national importance, it is a treasure of humanity,” stated Ahmed Junaid, UNESCO’s representative in Sudan, highlighting international efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim added, “Those who stole our antiquities sought to erase our identity.”
Officials estimate the recovered items represent about 30 percent of what was taken from the museum. Critically, the contents of the museum’s “gold room”—its most valuable collection featuring ancient jewellery and 24-carat gold pieces dating back nearly 8,000 years—remain missing.
After the army retook Khartoum from the RSF in March, archaeologists who entered the museum for the first time in two years found little left besides the heaviest objects, such as the granite statue of Pharaoh Taharqa.
The conflict has led to widespread looting of most of Sudan’s museums, including the Palace of Sultan Ali Dinar in El-Fasher, which fell to the RSF in October. Sudan’s national antiquities authority has estimated the total financial losses from looted cultural assets at approximately $110 million.
To encourage further returns, Information and Culture Minister Khalid Aleisir announced an unspecified “financial reward” for anyone who returns stolen antiquities to the authorities.
