Conflict in Sudan, severe damage to culture. Museums, theaters, research centers destroyed.

Sudan ’s cultural heritage is at risk following the conflict that erupted in the African country last April 15. The Heritage for Peace organization, a nonprofit founded in Girona, Spain, in 2013 that focuses on heritage protection in conflict situations, launched the Sudan Heritage Protection Initiative (SHPI), an initiative to monitor the situation of the country’s heritage with monthly updates highlighting ongoing damage to Sudan’s cultural sites. These reports are compiled from various sources, including news reports, citizen and journalist reports, updates from other organizations, and more. SHPI will also share information on activities undertaken to protect Sudan’s heritage. The goal is to spread awareness about the importance of safeguarding and protecting Sudan’s cultural heritage, document everything that is happening, develop a network of contacts and volunteers to strengthen the preservation of sites, as well as provide training, practical knowledge, and simple technologies to protect Sudan’s cultural heritage, and facilitate communication and collaborations among heritage professionals dealing with the situation in the country.

The first report was released last June 27 and photographs a situation that is far from rosy (indeed: the country’s heritage is in grave danger), listing all the damage Sudan’s culture has suffered in two months of conflict. In the capital city of Khartoum, the library and archives of the “Mohamed Omer Bashir” Center for Sudan Studies atOmdurman Ahlia University were lost in a fire. Also in Khartoum, the Museum of Natural History, which houses a collection of rare plants and specimens of extinct species in Sudan, as well as live animals and insects, lost much of its holdings again due to a fire: the collection was lost, and the museum building itself was severely damaged (the museum is based near the headquarters of the Sudanese Armed Forces, one of the two sides fighting each other). Again, the Bolheim Bioarchaeology Laboratory was invaded by the RSF (Rapid Support Forces, the other side of the conflict) but it is unclear if it sustained any damage. There was also damage to the Karthum National Museum, near which there was fighting. There is concern the situation at the museum: “Staff were forced to leave the National Museum, which is located in the center of Khartoum and very close to the front lines between the warring factions after fighting broke out on April 15, forcing the police guarding the facility to leave,” reported the museum’s director, Galia el Garnabi. “A museum worker who lived nearby was monitoring the premises but was recently forced to leave his home by the RSFs.” The RSFs also occupied theAl Khalifa Museum, one of the city’s most valuable buildings: no damage is reported so far, but the fact that it is occupied by the military, SHPI points out, poses a threat to its integrity.

Also in Khartoum, the Omdurman Old Market was destroyed by fire, and several historic buildings, such as the Ministry of Health and the Faculty of Medicine at Khartoum University, suffered damage (there is no word on the condition of the university, however). There was looting at the Abdul Karim Mirghani Center , which houses a library, a theater, and an archive of audio-visual materials, as well as a publishing center. Among the research centers, the Industrial Research Center, which played a key role in the country in that physical and chemical studies were conducted here on materials and products following which quality certificates were issued, as well as industrial and technological research, was devastated by fire. An important part of the archives and facilities was lost during the fire.

There was also major damage in the rest of the country. In Darfur, the El Geneina City Theater was destroyed by fire, and all four major museums in the region (the Sultan Bahruddin Museum in El Geneina, the Nyala Museum and Sheikan Museum in El Obeid, and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum in El Fasher) suffered devastation and looting. In particular, the Sultan Bahruddin Museum suffered damage to both the collections and the building during bombings, the Nyala Museum suffered severe roof damage leaving it without shelter from the rain (the rainy season is approaching in Sudan), and the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum reprobated damage to the building due to bombings. “Given the severity of the situation in these cities,” reads the SHPI report, “it is extremely difficult to ascertain the precise extent of damage to the buildings and collections” of the museums.

In other areas of the country away from the conflict zones (the report focuses on the Blue, Northern, and Nile states) there is no damage for now, but it is not possible to rest easy: for the museum collection of the ancient city of Sennar (Blue Nile) was already scheduled for evacuation due to damage the building had sustained prior to the conflict (the structure is in fact unsafe), and now the move is becoming “imperative,” SHPI points out, to ensure protection to its treasures from any further damage. Then there are two World Heritage-listed sites, namely the archaeological sites in Gebel Barkal and the Napata region, and the archaeological sites on the island of Meroe, which are far from the conflict zones, although, explains theSHPI, their remote location and inadequate security measures make them prone to looting and theft, partly because several refugees have moved to the region from the cities where the fighting is taking place, increasing the vulnerability of the cultural sites.

Evidence has also emerged of extensive damage, vandalism, fires, bombings, and looting of universities and schools in Khartoum. Among the affected institutions are Al Neelain University, Nile University, Al-Sudan University, Bahari University (Al-Kadro and Kharij complex), Mashreq University, Omdurman Ahlia University, the Omdurman Islamic University, Africa International University, Ahfad University for Women, Ibn Sina University, Napata National University, College of Sciences, Al-Yarmouk College and AlNahda College. Some of these universities are currently occupied by soldiers. The university libraries, archives and research facilities of these institutions have been lost or are at significant risk of loss. In addition, the Ministry of Higher Education building, which has historical value, has also suffered fire damage.

Statements expressing concern or condemnation of the current situation in Sudan, including the impact on people, cities, and cultural heritage, have been issued by several international organizations and archaeological societies. These organizations include UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, Cultural Emergency Response, ICOM, and archaeological societies (American Sudanese Archaeological Research Center, International Society for Nubian Studies, and Society for Africanist Archaeologists). The statements reflect their shared commitment to preserve and protect Sudan’s cultural heritage and underscore the urgency of addressing the challenges facing the country at this difficult time.

Pictured: the destroyed el Geneina Theater.

Conflict in Sudan, severe damage to culture. Museums, theaters, research centers destroyed.

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