Sudan's Museums Looted in Civil War
The war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, emptied the country's museums. UNESCO condemned the looting of the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum, which held the world's largest Kushite collection, and of the Khalifa House and Nyala museums. By 2025 most of the National Museum's artifacts were reported stolen, including all of its gold, with satellite images showing trucks carrying objects toward Darfur. The Sultan Ali Dinar Palace Museum in El Fasher was shelled in January 2025, and Sudan's culture minister counts at least 20 museums destroyed or looted. The RSF denies the looting. Little-covered abroad, it is among the largest losses of a national collection since the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum.
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