In the tangled web of organised crime, illicit art dealings can sometimes serve as both currency and collateral.  The ongoing trial of "Flor B.,"a Belgian national with a shocking criminal resume and a growing reputation as one of Europe's most dangerous narco-traffickers, has taken a dramatic turn into the world of cultural crime.  Dubbed the “Bongoking” in encrypted chat logs, this individual has been linked by prosecutors to the high-profile theft of Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer, a 17th-century masterpiece by Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, stolen on 26 August 2020 from the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden Museum in Leerdam, housed on the Kerkstraat.

The first lead on this case came in early 2021, when White Hat cyber-exploit hackers in the European police cracked SKY ECC's EncroChat encryption software, a chat service app that only ran on specially configured Nokia, Google, Apple and BlackBerry phones.  Listening in, the law enforcement officers struck intelligence gold.  By 2023, officers had intercepted some 115 million criminal conversations, by an estimated 60,000 users in which criminals openly negotiated, sometimes in extremely granular detail, money laundering, murders, counterfeiting, drugs, and firearms trafficking.  

In some of these messages and voice recordings, shared both in group chats and one-on-one conversations, members of this drug network coordinated cocaine shipments, talked about their connections with South America drug barons, bragged about violent exploits, and discussed the recent high-profile art theft.

Just two weeks after the museum theft in Leerdam, in messages from the police-cracked app which are now part of trial records, occurred between an individual going by the chat handle Bongoking (Flor B's alleged pseudonym) who discussed the recently filched 17th-century painting, bragging about negotiating a lower purchase price.  

In selected texts released to the public Bongoking writes:

“I recently bought a Frans Hals, 2 laughing boys,” 

“Paid dearly, brother… Asked for 750, settled for 550.” 

Authorities believe this figure represents €550,000, the price the speaker paid for the stolen painting.  He chillingly outlines the painting's purpose in the same chat: not as a collector’s trophy, but as a strategic asset—something to potentially barter for leniency in relation to his wife's role in the criminal's illegal affairs.

“It won’t work for me, brother. But I might still be able to keep my wife out of jail with it, you know,” he wrote, anticipating his own eventual downfall.

He also talked about his construction of a private airport in Equatorial Guinea, used to exploit a shipping loophole which allowed cocaine to flow more easily into the Benelux as part of the kingpin's rapidly expanding criminal enterprise. 

Already a fugitive from justice, the discerning kingpin was in hiding in Switzerland, where for 20 months, he is alleged to have run his international drug cartel from various luxury properties unchallenged.  To do so he used the names Artur Gitta or later Georgios Kandylidis.  His wife for her part became known first as Simone Jung and then as Alexandra Sapranova.  That is until shortly before midnight on 16 February 2022 when both their crime-filled lives caught up with them.   

Following an intensive manhunt, Flor B. and his wife were arrested at a luxury 22nd floor apartment in the exclusive Renaissance residence (Mobimo Tower) in the heart of Zürich West.  The couple's infant son was sleeping in his crib in the next room when law enforcement officers raided the highrise.

Taken into custody, Flor B will be held at the Pöschwies correctional facility for eight months before being extradited to Belgium where he is placed in solitary confinement at Poort van Beveren, a state of the art, high security penal institution while his case in Begium proceeds.  His wife is initially held at the Dielsdorf women's prison in special prison accommodation for offenders with small children.  She will remain there for eight months before being released, and subsequently also extradited to Belgium.  

Flor B's legal team, led by attorney Yehudi Moszkowicz, disputes the prosecution’s interpretation of the messages related to the stolen painting.  Moszkowicz insists his client denies authorship of the incriminating texts and criticises the one-sided nature of the evidence, pointing out the absence of full chat transcripts, as well as the identity of the recipient. “These chats do not show that the sender of the messages actually has access to the painting,” he argued, suggesting the possibility of exaggeration.

But this is far from Flor B’s only serious criminal allegation.  The breakthrough in the SKY ECC cryptophone app exposed this network's trafficking operations, which investigators say revealed the young man as a central figure in a massive European drug empire.  His purported alias Bongoking surfaced repeatedly in communications linked to the importation of more than 16 tons of cocaine, valued at €400 million.  The message also allegedly tie him to violent networks in South America and the Netherlands.  Among the most startling revelations is his alleged orchestration of a drug smuggling scheme using Kriva Rochem, an Antwerp-based water treatment firm that doubled as a front business for cocaine importation.

In closing, the alleged link between Flor B., and his potential connection to the Frans Hals painting is remarkably similar to the thefts of two Van Gogh paintings which ended up in the hands of Camorra-linked mafia boss Raffaele Imperiale.  Likewise last December Stefan Papić, a member of the drug cartel Tito and Dino and considered to be the right-hand man of Flor B was arrested on the basis of a warrant from Belgium.  Papić had opened an art gallery Puro Arte in Breda which is suspected of being used to launder the proceeds of crime.  All three illustrate transnational organised crime figures who are members of massive drug cartels and who dabbled in the world of artistic works with the motivation of using them to launder the proceeds of crime, or use them as collateral or leverage in negotiations, whether in backrooms, on smart phones, or ultimately, in courtrooms during plea deals.

Unfortunately as Flor B's trial continues, the Frans Hals painting remains missing and its fate remains uncertain.  What we do know is that its value is immense not only in monetary terms but as a documented example of how deeply organised crime can entrench itself in the cracks of legitimate society.  Whether hanging in museums or hidded in a drug lord's hideaway, the convergence of fine art and criminal finance continues to challenge the boundaries of law enforcement, and the integrity of the art world itself.

Art advisor and gallerist Oghenochuko "Ochuko" Ojiri pleaded guilty today in Westminster Magistrates' Court to eight counts of failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector, contrary to section 21A of the UK's Terrorism Act.  His case marks the first time an individual has been prosecuted under this specific offence and highlights the increasing scrutiny the art market faces as a potential conduit for illicit financial activities, including those that could fund terrorism.

Ojiri previously was affiliated with Pelicans & Parrots, established in 2010 in London and directed the Ramp Gallery in Hackney which  specialises in works by emerging and contemporary artists.  His business operates under the registered business name Jessomey Ltd. 

In November 2021, Ramp Gallery was rebranded as Ojiri Gallery and moved its primary gallery operations to the heart of Shoreditch in the former 2,120 sq ft Carl Freedman space on Charlotte Road.  The original gallery location in Dalston, then became known as Ojiri Projects.

Ojiri Gallery, London

Known for his appearances on the popular BBC shows Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, Ojiri was arrested on these charges on 18 April 2023 following an investigation conducted by the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, part of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The Treasury, HMRC, and Scotland Yard's Arts & Antiques Unit were also involved in the probe.

Lyndon Harris, for the prosecution, outlined investigators’ findings in which the Nigerian-British art dealer was identified as having conducted a series of transactions between October 2020 and December 2021 totalling £138,150, through the sale of artworks to Nazem Said Ahmad, a Lebanese Shia diamond dealer and prominent contemporary art collector.

This occurred despite Ojiri knowing that, as early as 13 December 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had already  designated Ahmad as a a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. This US designation was pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial or technological support to Hezbollah, the Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group.

In building their case in London, law enforcement officers gathered evidence that Ojiri was aware of Ahmad's designation, had accessed news reports about it, and had engaged in discussions acknowledging the collector’s ties to Hezbollah.

On 18 April 2023, the UK government also imposed sanctions on Ahmad under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, freezing all his UK-based assets and prohibiting UK individuals or businesses from engaging in transactions with him or with his affiliated entities: White Starr DMCC, Bexley Way General Trading LLC, Best Diamond House DMCC, Sierra Gem Diamonds Company NV, Park Ventures SAL, or the Artual Gallery.  UK authorities allege Ahmad used the London art market to circumvent sanctions through a complex web of companies used to launder funds via transactions involving numerous UK-based artists, galleries, and auction houses.  In May 2023, the UK's National Crime Agency seized 23 paintings worth approximately £1 million from Ahmad, underscoring the scale of his operations.

Based on the evidence presented, Ojiri, represented by Barrister Gavin Irwin, pleaded guilty to all eight charges of failing to disclose his dealings with the sanctioned collector.  Each count is said to relate to an individual artwork sale, with pieces subsequently exported to Dubai or Beirut.

Facing up to five years in prison, Ojiri was released today on conditional bail requiring him to surrender his passport and refrain from applying for any travel documents.

He has been scheduled for sentencing at the Old Bailey on 6 June 2025.

Dutch authorities continue to advance their inquiry into the high-profile burglary and theft that occurred on 25 January 2025 at the Drents Museum in Assen with an expanded suspect list that now includes seven individuals.  In the early morning hours of that day, a group of individuals accomplices set off explosives to force open a door to the museum and made off with four significant artefacts on loan from Romania: the Dacien golden helmet of Cotofenesti and three gold bangles.

Following the museum's theft, Dutch law enforcement launched an intensive investigation involving forensic analysis, surveillance footage review, and interagency cooperation.

The first breakthrough came on 29 January when three individuals from Heerhugowaard were taken into custody. The Dutch police publicly identified two of the suspects as Douglas Chesley Wendersteyt and Bernhard Zeeman, releasing both their names and photographs to the public. The third person arrested arrested was not named but is reported to be the partner of one of the suspects.

On 20 February, investigators arrested a fourth possible co-conspirator, a 26-year-old man from the nearby village of Obdam.  Around the same time, authorities announced they were actively seeking an additional suspect captured on CCTV footage wearing a Nike cap and glasses and visiting a hardware store in Assen shortly before the burglary.

The investigation continued into the spring, and on 5 April, a fifth potential accomplice—aged 36—was apprehended during a raid on a residence in Alkmaar, where the premises were thoroughly searched for evidence.

Yesterday, the list of suspects grew to seven, with two more individuals, a 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old man, both from Heerhugowaard, taken into custody. Authorities confirmed that one of them is the same individual previously seen in the CCTV footage from the hardware store.  Earlier in the day, the police had already searched a house in Opmeer and a business premises in Heerhugowaard.

According to the news site Europesays, of the seven, six suspects reportedly remain in custody, with the seventh released but still considered a suspect in the case.

Despite these arrests, the stolen Romanian artefacts remain missing. The ancient golden helmet and bracelets are considered significant cultural property, and their recovery remains a top priority with a reward for the golden tip that leads to their recovery being set at 250 thousand euros, an amount offered by the Dutch entrepreneur Alex van Breemen, who lives in Bucharest.

Dutch authorities continue to appeal to the public for information that may lead to the recovery of the stolen items. Anyone with relevant details is encouraged to contact investigators via the dedicated email: tips-assen@politie.nl.  Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Meld Misdaad Anoniem.

This case remains open, and further developments are expected as forensic analysis and interrogations continue. The investigation is being treated as a coordinated criminal operation, and authorities are examining links to broader organised networks.

Anyone with information related to the theft is urged to contact the Dutch police through their tip lines or via email at tips-assen@politie.nl. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Meld Misdaad Anoniem.

In a coordinated operation on Monday, the Dimona Police and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered a significant cache of antiquities during a search of a private residence in the southern Israeli city of Dimona. Approximately 200 ancient items were seized, including coins, arrowheads, intact pottery vessels, oil lamps, glass beads, pendants, and other cultural artifacts.

Preliminary assessments by the IAA indicate that the recovered items span a broad historical range—from the Iron Age (9th century BCE) to the 7th century CE, the period marking the rise of Arab Muslim expansion across the region.  The 40-year-old resident of the home, located in Dimona, approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Beersheba and 35 kilometers west of the Dead Sea, was detained for overnight questioning and could face charges of illegal possession of antiquities. 

In addition to the artefacts, police also recovered two metal detectors, a large amount of ammunition, and various types of "airsoft" weapons.  Bear in mind that airsoft guns are replica firearms that use compressed air, at a low velocity, to propel small plastic pellets (typically 6mm BBs) originally designed for use in simulated combat games.  While not considered firearms in most jurisdictions, airsoft guns and similar items have been imported to Israel as toys, and later converted by changing the barrel and the internal mechanism to allow it to hold live rounds. These “converted weapons” are less powerful (and cheaper) than traditionally manufactured firearms, but they can easily still harm and even kill people,

By May 2022, Israel's "Airsoft" Law(Amendment No. 23), 2022, past its first reading in the Knesset, following the Ministry of Public Security's request to regulate the sphere of dangerous "toys", highlighting a recorded 195% increase since the beginning of 2018 in seizing of Airsoft guns that have been modified and converted into makeshift weapons which could make their way into the hands of terrorists and crime organisations.

The law proposed stipulated that any activity involving the manufacture, import, export, storage, transportation and trading in replica firearms will require a license, similar to a firearms license and the use, possession and carrying of these guns is to  occur in shooting clubs only, which will be issued a license by the Firearm Licensing Department.  That bill also included a penal clause of three to five years of imprisonment for execution of various types of modifications to replica firearms.  

Whether or not the airsoft weapons in this instance had been modified is not clear in the varying Israeli news reports. What is known is that in addition to the antiquities, cash in excess of NIS 150,000 (+/-€35,000) was also recovered. 

As mentioned in our blog post yesterday, on 11 April 2025, the UK's High Court ruled in favour of Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani against Phoenix Ancient Art, Ali and Hicham Aboutaam and the conveniently retired Swiss antiquities dealer Roland Ansermet, concluding that the New York and Swiss based gallery had engaged in fraud, dishonesty and fraudulent misrepresentation in relation to the Qatari royal's claim. But just who is Roland C. Ansermet, AKA Charles Roland Ansermet? And why is his role important when exploring artefact sales transactions, especially those which have involved the Aboutaam brothers and their well known antiquities dealership?

As early as 2002, an acquisition record for a 3000-2800 BCE Cycladic kandila at the Michael C. Carlos Museum traces the piece to Ansermet's Neuchâtel-based art collection.  This Greek marble storage jar was purchased by the MCCM via Christoph F. Leon, another extremely problematic Swiss-based antiquities dealer who sold (among other suspect pieces) the looted golden Greek funerary wreath to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1993 for $1.1 million and who brokered the sale of  twenty-one pieces of looted Apulian pottery stolen from a single grave that has recently been restituted to Italy from the Altes Museum in Berlin.

Left: Photo from the Gianfranco Becchina archive  Right: Accession Photo of the Pithos in the Michael C. Carlos Museum

A year later, in 2003, the same museum documents Ansermet's connection to the Aboutaam family.  That year, Jasper Gaunt, then curator of Greek and Roman art at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, corresponded directly with Ansermet in advance of the Georgia museum's purchase of a Greek Archaic period Pithos.  The museum had been offered the artefact for purchase consideration by the Aboutaams via Phoenix Ancient Art.

Ansermet informed Gaunt that the pithos was formerly in the collection of his uncle, Professor Adolphe Goumaz of Lausanne, Switzerland, from 1960 before passing to him prior to its later circulation via the Aboutaams.  The piece was ultimately acquired by the Michael C. Carlos Museum in 2004, and assigned accession no: 2004.2.1.  A photograph of this artefact however, also appears in the business records of problematic antiquities dealer Gianfranco Becchina, a name not mentioned in the collection history presented by Ansermet or the Aboutaams, who omit (or didn't know) that the antiquity had been in circulation to or from the Sicilian owner of Palladion Antike Kunst.   

While the Michael C. Carlos Museum ultimately didn't move to restitute the Pithos from its collection based on the lone Becchina photograph, the object demonstrates a decades-long business relationship between Ansermet and the Aboutaams. 

One year later, in 2005, an Oil Lamp with Ansermet and Phoenix Ancient Art provenance was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  It was given accession number 2005.351.A-.C, 

Another suspect artefact traceable to Ansermet, a 3rd century CE Roman marble portrait head of the Emperor Gallienus, was consigned and ultimately sold during Christie's London Antiquities auction 1561 held on 1 October 2014.   Who the consigner was, or who the unfortunate purchaser is, has not been established through open source research.

During the Operation Achei, conducted on the orders of the investigating judge of Crotone and carried out by the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command investigating an international network of antiquities traffickers, a wire tap recorded a conversation which took place on 19 February 2018, between illicit antiquities middleman Alfiero Angelucci (who will be charged later in Italy) and Roland Ansermet, who Italian investigators defined as a “character resident in Switzerland, involved in various cases related to the international trafficking of archaeological finds”.   The pair's telephone call discusses legal problems related to an ongoing Swiss investigation and recorded Ansermet boldly relaying to Angelucci: “But you don’t know what I have, the largest Etruscan collection in the world.  I showed it to them. It’s sitting in England waiting for the client and I already have the client. This one is Russian and they’ve gone crazy”.

Fast forward to two days before Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdulla al Thani accused Phoenix Ancient Art of breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation in London and Ansermet's name can again be linked to the Aboutaams, in the Beierwaltes; Aboutaam v. L’Office fédérale de la culture de la Confederation Suisse legal proceedings, which was argued on 20 October 2020, in relation to the then ongoing Swiss investigation into Ali Aboutaam's suspect business dealings. 

Ansermet's activities in conjunction with Ali Aboutaam are also detailed in records filed with the Police Court in Geneva dating to 20 July 2022 in relation to Swiss Indictment P/2949/2017 wherein Swiss prosecutors laid out that:

for the purpose of providing cultural goods, within the meaning of article 2 of the law on the transfer of cultural goods (LTBC), with a pedigree aimed at dispelling suspicions of illicit provenance and/or at facilitating their customs transfer with a view to their sale on the art market through Phoenix Ancient Art SA, Tanis Antiquities Ltd and Inanna Art Services SA, i.e. companies controlled by Ali ABOU TAAM,

Ali Aboutaam marketed a series of objects including: 

In relation to these objects, Ansermet's name singularly, or Ansermet, alongside other named individuals, appears and the Swiss prosecutors contended the paperwork accompanying these pieces contained false histories or false invoices.  In January 2023, in this case, Ali Aboutaam was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay roughly $490,000 (CHF450,000) in legal costs. 

In relation to the Al Thani case, Ansermet, gave evidence that he bought the suspect Byzantine chalcedony statuette of Nike, whose authenticity is disputed, in 1982 and sold it to Phoenix's agent, Tanis Antiquities Ltd.  The Aboutaams in turn sold it to the Qatari collector for $2.2 million.

In light of the substantial number of antiquities purportedly held by the aforementioned, now nearly 85 year old Swiss national, as per his wire-tapped conversation, and his documented history of transactional engagement with problematic ancient art dealers, including Fiorella Cottier-Angeli, Christoph F. Leon, Alfiero Angelucci, and the Aboutaam family—it is recommended that all accompanying documentation, including but not limited to provenance records or attestations of  ownership, be subjected to rigorous due diligence procedures.  Furthermore, any future acquisitions or transactions involving objects linked to Mr. Ansermet should be presumed potentially irregular pending comprehensive and independent verification of their lawful origin and transfer.

In closing, Caveat emptor.

By:  Lynda Albertson

I. Introduction

This blog report outlines the legal proceedings and final judgment in the case of Qatar Investment and Projects Development Holding Company & Anor v. Phoenix Ancient Art SA & Ors, culminating in a decision by the England and Wales High Court (King's Bench Division) in April 2025. The case centers on allegations of fraud and misrepresentation concerning the sale of antiquities to Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani by Phoenix Ancient Art, based in New York and Geneva.

II. Background

Between 2013 and 2014 Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani, through Qatar Investment and Projects Development Holding Company (QIPCO), acquired several antiquities from Phoenix Ancient Art, including:

• A chalcedony statuette of Nike, purchased for $2.2 million.

• A marble head of Alexander the Great as Herakles, purchased for $3 million.

al Thani raised concerns in early 2018 about the authenticity of the Nike statue after receiving a report claiming that microscopic inspection detected modern machine tool markings and machine polishing inconsistent with ancient craftsmanship.

III. Legal Proceedings

• Initial Claims and Limitations: In his initial complaint filed on 22 October 2020 with the high court of London, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdulla al Thani, represented by the lawyers Pinsent Masons, accused Phoenix Ancient Art of breach of contract and/or negligent misrepresentation on the part of the gallery as the vendor of the $2.2 million Byzantine statuette of Nike whose authenticity is disputed.  Roland Ansermet was also named in the 22 October 2020 UK lawsuit.  In their response, the defendants contested the claims, arguing also that they were time-barred under the Limitation Act 1980. The High Court initially sided with the defendants 27 July 2021 ruling that despite issues related to the Covid 19 pandemic,  the complainant had failed to serve his complaint on Phoenix Ancient Art within the reasonable time limit.  In April 2022 the UK Court of Appeal upheld this decision, emphasising procedural adherence over pandemic-related delays.

• New Action and Allegations: On 8 September 2023, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdulla al Thani and QIPCO file a new claim, asserting fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, and unlawful means conspiracy. The court permitted these claims to proceed, determining they were not clearly time-barred and did not constitute an abuse of process.

• Summary Judgment: On 4 June 2024, the High Court granted summary judgment in favour of QIPCO, citing Phoenix Ancient Art's failure to disclose critical documents and evidence supporting allegations of fraud and misrepresentation.

IV. Final Judgment and Remedies

On 11 April 2025, the High Court ruled in favour of Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani, issuing a summary judgment pursuant to CPR 24.3 against Phoenix Ancient Art, Ali and Hicham Aboutaam, and the retired Swiss antiques dealer, Roland Ansermet concluding that Phoenix Ancient Art had engaged in fraud, dishonesty and fraudulent misrepresentation in relation to al Thani's claim. The court imposed a worldwide asset freeze of $10 million against Phoenix Ancient Art to secure potential damages and costs.

V. Implications

This case underscores the importance of due diligence and transparency in the art and antiquities market.  It highlights the legal responsibilities of dealers to provide accurate provenance information and the potential consequences of misrepresentation. The judgment serves as a precedent for future disputes involving the authenticity of cultural property.

References

• Qatar Investment and Projects Development Holding Co & Anor v. Phoenix Ancient Art SA & Ors [2024] EWHC 1331 (KB)

• Qatar Investment and Project Development Holding Company & Anor v. Phoenix Ancient Art SA [2022] EWCA Civ 422

• "Qatari royal wins court ruling over provenance of £4m antiquities," The Times, April 2025.

When violence first broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Khartoum became an epicenter of combat. Within days, RSF units occupied large swaths of the city, including key government buildings, residential neighbourhoods, and the area surrounding the Sudan National Museum. 

The museum itself fell within contested territory, with ongoing shelling and street battles posing severe risk and making its interior impossible to secure.  Throughout the months that followed, reports of looting and damage to Khartoum’s infrastructure and the museum were reported, with its museum staff and heritage experts displaced under the strain of war, making it nearly impossible to assess the damage while the the city remained under siege. 

It wasn’t until early 2025—after a sustained counteroffensive by the SAF and international diplomatic pressure—that much of central Khartoum, including the museum district, was recaptured. By then, however, the damage to Sudan's important cultural landmarks had already been done.

A Repository of Nubian Glory

The Sudan National Museum was established in 1971 and housed over 50,000 years of human history. Its galleries showcased everything from prehistoric stone tools and ancient Christian frescoes to monumental statues and pharaonic temples rescued from the waters of Lake Nasser during the UNESCO Nubia Campaign of the 1960s. The museum's collection includes artifacts from the Kingdom of Kush, the Kerma civilisation, and the Christian kingdoms of Nubia, shedding light on cultures often overshadowed by their northern neighbours in Egypt.

What made the museum especially significant was not just the artefacts it held, but the unique narrative it wove—a story of African ingenuity, political power, and religious transformation that challenged long-standing historical biases and centered Sudan within the broader tapestry of global heritage which transcended its modern day, and often contested borders.

Cultural Institutions in the Crossfire

Since the outbreak of conflict, the museum—like many institutions in the country—suffered from a lack of security, interrupted funding, and the physical dangers posed by armed clashes waged in and around it.  By early 2024, satellite images and reports from heritage professionals warned of structural damage to the museum's building and the increasing vulnerability of its collections to looting and environmental degradation.  

As the war raged on, nearly all archaeological research was suspended in the country and most conservation projects ceased. 

In September 2004, two hundred Sudanese researchers called on South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit to help recover valuable artefacts believed to have been looted from the National Museum in Khartoum, and thought by some to have been routed through South Sudan as a transit country for resale on the black market. 

Buhen temple at the grounds of Sudan National Museum in Khartoum before conflict

Current Situation

The first awful photos ARCA has seen of the devastated Sudan National Museum show one small glimmer of hope that at least the Buhen Dynasty temple, on the grounds of the museum, appears to be mostly intact.  Built by Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I (1473-1458 BCE), the temple is dedicated to Horus and once stood at the fortress of Buhan.  It was moved to Khartoum, when its find spot was covered by the resulting Lake Nasser, created by the Aswan Dam project in 1964.

The damage inside the museum and in its labs is more painful and the destruction and looting of pieces in the collection are still under assessment.  The Director of Museums at the National Corporation for Antiquities and Chair of the Sudanese Antiquities Repatriation Committee, Ikhlas Abdel Latif has stated that all the artefacts from the Gold Room, one of the rarest museum collections from the Kushite Empire, were systematically stolen, and many of the museum's other artefacts were also destroyed.

Outside, unexploded projectiles can be found embedded in the stone and will need to be removed carefully by explosive experts. 

In the Aftermath

The current situation in Sudan is critical, and serves as a painful reminder of the fragility of cultural heritage during times of conflict, as well as the fact that the human impact of devastation and war often supersedes and takes priority over heritage impact.  

That said, the loss of collections within the Sudan National Museum and its other heritage institutions and archaeological sites should not be under-recognised. The museum did more than simply display artefacts—it anchored identity, inspired pride, and offered future generations a connection to their roots. 

Losses such as those being recorded now, are and will continue to be a national tragedy, as well as a global one, long after the conflict subsides.

King Atlanersa (also Atlanarsa), Kushite ruler of the Napatan kingdom of Nubia (Reign c. 653–643 BCE)

In the meantime, digital preservation efforts, diaspora scholarship, and international partnerships are called upon to help safeguard what could not be protected from afar. The world must not turn away. The ruins of Nubia tell a story that spans millennia and whether or not that story continues depends not just on the past—but on how we choose to protect it today.

The Amelia Conference: 

The Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference, taking place from June 21–22, 2025 in the historic town of Amelia, Italy. As the seat of ARCA’s renowned Postgraduate Certificate Programmes in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection, Amelia offers the ideal setting for the Association's annual thought-provoking event.

This year’s conference will kick off with a welcome cocktail on the evening of Friday, June 20, providing an opportunity for early networking among speakers and attendees. The main program will span two full days of panels and presentations on Saturday and Sunday, June 21–22, hosted at the Collegio Boccarini, adjacent to the Museo Civico Archeologico e Pinacoteca Edilberto Rosa in the heart of Amelia’s centro storico.

The Amelia Conference continues ARCA’s longstanding commitment to fostering critical dialogue and cross-disciplinary collaboration on pressing issues related to art crime, cultural heritage protection, and the illicit trafficking of cultural property. This annual gathering brings together experts from international organisations, universities, law enforcement, academia, cultural institutions, and the art market to explore practical solutions and forward-thinking strategies to better safeguard our shared cultural heritage.

Call for Presenters - Extended Deadline:

Due to a few cancellations, we are still accepting abstract submissions for the 2025 conference. The extended deadline for proposals is April 15, 2025.

Conference sessions are designed to reflect the growing complexity of art and heritage crime and the expanding range of disciplines engaging with these challenges. This year’s panels will feature 75- to 90-minute sessions, each comprising 15–20 minute presentations by invited speakers, with ample time for Q&A and moderated discussion. Presenters are encouraged to focus on key themes or case studies relevant to current challenges in art crime, with the aim of encouraging thoughtful—not combative—dialogue among peers. Some sessions may also include panel-style debate or showcase diverse perspectives on a given topic.

Whether you are an academic, a museum professional, a law enforcement officer, or a member of the private sector working to protect cultural property, we invite you to attend and share your insights and contribute to this important conversation.

Registration:

To register for the 2025 Amelia Conference, please visit our Eventbrite registration page. Early registration is encouraged, as lodging in and around Amelia is limited and this event regularly reaches capacity.

For more information about the conference, to submit an abstract, or accommodation suggestions, please contact us at:

italy.conference (at) artcrimeresearch.org