Paramilitary forces in Sudan have seized control of the national museum in Khartoum

Khartoum, Sudan/Photo: Jack Maguire / Alamy / Profimedia

Sudanese paramilitaries have seized the national museum in Khartoum, its deputy director said, raising fears for the safety of important artefacts including ancient mummies amid a deadly war.

Members of the Rapid Support Force group, which has been battling the army for seven weeks for control of Sudan, entered the museum on Friday, deputy director Ihlas Abdelatif said, urging the fighters to protect the nation's heritage.

Museum employees do not know the situation at the museum because they stopped working there after the conflict suddenly erupted on April 15, forcing police guarding the facility to withdraw, Abdelatif said.

The museum is located in a large building on the banks of the Nile in central Khartoum, near the central bank in an area that has seen some of the fiercest fighting.

Among the thousands of priceless relics are embalmed mummies dating back to 2.500 BC, making them among the oldest and most archaeologically important in the world.

The museum also contains statues, ceramics and ancient murals, with artifacts from the Stone Age to the Christian and Islamic eras, former director Hatim Alnur said.

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