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Unesco calls on international community to help protect Sudan’s cultural heritage
International body ‘deeply concerned’ about reports of illicit trafficking
Unesco has called on the international community to help protect Sudan’s cultural heritage amid reports of extensive looting and illicit trafficking of cultural property in the country.
The international organisation said last month that it is “deeply concerned about the recent reports of possible looting and damage of several museums and heritage institutions in Sudan, including the National Museum, by armed groups”.
The country is in the grip of a civil war that has led to an estimated 45,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 10 million people.
A recent report by Sudan's state broadcaster said satellite images showed evidence of a systematic smuggling operation at Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, which houses an internationally significant collection including some of the earliest examples of mummified remains in world.
Unesco said it “calls on the international community to do its utmost to protect Sudan's heritage from destruction and illicit trafficking”.
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The organisation said it had been closely monitoring the crisis since the outbreak of hostilities in April 2023. It said that “in recent weeks, this threat to culture appears to have reached an unprecedented level, with reports of looting of museums, heritage and archaeological sites and private collections”.
The statement added: “Unesco recalls the obligations of all parties to comply with international humanitarian law by refraining from damaging, looting or using cultural property for military purpose. The organisation is particularly concerned by reports of looting at the National Museum of Sudan, [whose] restoration has been coordinated by Unesco with Italy’s funding since 2019. It contains important historical pieces of antiques, statues and archaeological collections of high historical and material value.”
Several other important collections have been reported stolen from the Khalifa House Museum and Nyala Museum, said Unesco, which is cross-checking reports to determine the extent of the damage.
The organisation said: “Unesco reiterates its call upon the public and the art market involved in the trade of cultural property in the region and worldwide to refrain from acquiring or taking part in the import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property from Sudan. Any illegal sale or displacement of these cultural items would result in the disappearance of part of the Sudanese cultural identity and jeopardise the country's recovery.”
Unesco is organising training in Cairo, Egypt, for members of law enforcement and the judiciary of Sudan’s neighbouring countries. It is using satellite imagery to conduct risk and damage assessment of two world heritage sites, “Gebel Barkal and the sites of the Napatan Region”, and “the archaeological sites of the Island of Meroe”, as well as other historical sites.
Unesco has also helped to implement emergency measures in five archeaological museums in Sudan, including packing and securing endangered collections, preparing safe havens, and making inventories for more than 1,700 objects and digitising them.
The organisation has also established a centre in Port Sudan to enable internally displaced artists and culture professionals to work and network with each other in a safe space.