Khartoum: The venerable British newspaper The Telegraph published a report described as the most comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the cultural and heritage destruction inflicted by militias in Sudan, alongside current efforts to restore some of these sites, including British expertise and funding to complete the restoration and recover looted artifacts.
According to Sudan News Agency, the report, prepared by British art affairs journalist Craig Simpson, followed a tour of Khartoum organized by Minister of Culture, Information, Tourism and Antiquities, Khalid Al-Eisir, which included visits to several museums in Khartoum State.
The coverage focused particularly on the destruction of the old Republican Palace, the historic site where British General Charles George Gordon was killed in 1885 by Mahdist forces led by Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi-a pivotal event in Sudan's colonial history.
Simpson drew a comparison between that historical episode and the recent vandalism and looting of the palace during the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, highlighting the site's historical and political symbolism.
The report also addressed severe damage to cultural institutions, including the National Museum of Sudan, the Palace Museum, and the Ethnographic Museum, noting that thousands of artifacts, including items from the Kingdom of Kush, were stolen, and historic buildings were subjected to arson and collapse.
Officials in the antiquities sector told the newspaper that the attacks targeted Sudan's cultural identity, in addition to the significant human losses caused by the war.
The report highlighted the Sudanese government's efforts to restore the Republican Palace and other heritage sites, including seeking British support through the Culture Protection Fund managed by the British Council, as well as exploring broader international funding avenues for restoration operations, which could cost millions of pounds.
Minister of Culture, Information, Tourism and Antiquities, Khalid Al-Eisir, praised the coverage, describing it as 'one of the most beautiful and truthful journalistic reports' on Sudanese heritage in recent times. He emphasized that the Republican Palace symbolizes the historic ties between Sudan and the United Kingdom, and that its rehabilitation represents an important step in restoring national memory and safeguarding the country's cultural identity.