Sudan’s ongoing civil war is posing an unprecedented threat to the country’s cultural heritage, UNESCO has warned. Key historical sites, such as the ancient ruins of Naga—a UNESCO World Heritage site—are under threat as they fall under the control of militia forces. The war, which began in April 2023, has devastated Sudan, displacing over 10 million people and putting Sudan’s national identity in peril. It is also putting the country’s cultural identity at risk, with the ongoing widespread looting and destruction of museums and archaeological sites. One of these, Khartoum’s National Museum, has been ransacked and thousands of invaluable antiquities carted away. Archaeologists and historians, including German experts who helped restore temples in Naga, fear the complete loss of Sudan’s cultural history as the conflict rages on, despite calls for peace, including from US President Joe Biden.
SOURCE: DW
