Sudanese authorities announced today, Tuesday, the recovery of 570 artifacts dating back to various historical eras. The pieces were intercepted while being smuggled out of the country and represent approximately 29% of the total antiquities that were on display at the Sudan National Museum in central Khartoum.
During a press conference held in the city of Port Sudan, the Deputy Director of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), Abbas Mohammed, stated that the agency executed a “complex security operation.” This operation successfully thwarted a major plot to smuggle Sudanese antiquities owned by the Antiquities and Museums Authority abroad. He added, “A large number of artifacts have been recovered.”
The National Museum has been subjected to extensive looting during the war that has gripped Khartoum since April 2023, following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of the Sudanese capital. This comes at a time when media reports have monitored the sale of some Sudanese antiquities via the internet.
Mohammed pointed out that the theft of Sudanese antiquities and the attempt to smuggle them abroad is a “serious crime” committed by the RSF as part of a series of systematic violations against the nation and its heritage.
He further explained that Sudanese judicial bodies are working in coordination with regional and international partners to recover artifacts that were smuggled abroad during the wartime period.
The Deputy Director of the GIS emphasized that the operation to recover the antiquities was not merely a security measure, but represented a “real battle to protect Sudan’s history” and to confront any attempts targeting national heritage, as it is a matter of national security.
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