Battles in Sudan reach the island of Meroe, which is included on the World Heritage List

Baghdad-INA
The battles that have been taking place in Sudan for months between the army and the Rapid Support Forces have reached the island of Meroe, which is included on the World Heritage List, according to what a local human rights organization reported, warning of the risk of damage to the antiquities of the Kingdom of Kush, which are more than 2,300 years old.

The Regional Network for Cultural Rights said that it “condemns the entry of the Rapid Support Forces for the second time into the Naqa’a and Musawwarat archaeological sites.”
She added in a statement that the Rapid Support Forces entered the archaeological site for the second time after they had entered it for the first time on December 3.
The archaeological site is located in the Nile River State in the north of the country.
In turn, the local authorities in the Nile River State announced that the Rapid Support Forces “tried to infiltrate through the Naqaa and Al-Musawarat area, and the air force confronted them,” confirming the return of calm to the region.
In its statement, the Regional Network for Cultural Rights said that the Naqaa and Musawwarat sites are considered among the most important historical sites registered on the World Heritage List in Sudan, as they include statues, monuments, and shrines from the Meroitic era (350 BC to 350 AD).
The human rights organization confirmed, citing “reliable sources, photos and videos published on social media sites, that a war battle took place between the Sudanese army forces and the Rapid Support Forces, exposing these sites to vandalism, destruction, looting and theft.”
In 2011, UNESCO included Meroe Island on its World Heritage List.
According to UNESCO, the archaeological sites on the island of Meroe are “semi-desert areas between the Nile River and the Atbara River, the stronghold of the Kingdom of Kush, which was a great power between the eighth and fourth centuries BC. It consists of the royal metropolis of the Kushite kings at Meroe, near the Nile River, and near Among the religious sites in Naqaa and Al-Musawarat Al-Safara.
UNESCO adds in its definition of the island that “it was the headquarters of the rulers who occupied Egypt for nearly a century and a half, among other monuments, such as pyramids, temples, houses of residence, as well as major facilities, all of which are connected to a water network.”
The war in Sudan since April 15 has resulted in more than 13,000 deaths, according to a tally reported by the Armed Conflict Locations and Events Data Project (ACLED).
The conflict also caused the displacement of about 7.5 million people inside and outside the country, according to the United Nations.