Khartoum accuses RSF of looting and destroying Sudan's heritage: What to know
The Sudanese government accused the Rapid Support Forces of looting and destroying cultural heritage sites, including the Sudan National Museum, during their occupation of Khartoum, calling the actions war crimes and pledging to work with UNESCO and Interpol to recover stolen artifacts.
Sudan's government on Thursday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of deliberately damaging and looting several museums and cultural sites in the capital, Khartoum, vowing to work with UNESCO and Interpol to recover stolen artifacts and protect the country's heritage.
The accusation comes a week after the Sudanese Armed Forces declared victory in Khartoum, retaking key sites — including the presidential palace and the airport — following intense battles with the RSF, which had controlled the capital since the early days of the civil war that broke out between the two parties in April 2023.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said the liberation of Khartoum revealed what it described as the atrocities committed by the RSF against the Sudanese people, including the discovery of mass graves and reports of torture in detention centers in the capital.
The statement further accused the RSF and its allies — which it did not name — of targeting Sudan's historical and cultural heritage by "deliberately destroying the Sudan National Museum and looting its collections, which represent a 7,000-year-old civilization."
