France Transfers 3,500 Archaeological Artefacts to Ethiopia

The artefacts, held in France since the 1980s for study, include prehistoric tools and will be fully returned to Ethiopia's Heritage Directorate next week.

• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot symbolically handed over three prehistoric tools to Ethiopia's Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa during a visit to Addis Ababa's national museum.
• The artefacts, dating back 1 to 2 million years, were excavated from the Melka Kunture site near Ethiopia's capital under the direction of French researcher Jean Chavaillon.
• The transfer is described as a handover rather than a restitution, as the items were never part of France's public collections but were sent for study by mutual agreement.
• The full collection of 3,500 artefacts, currently stored at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, will be delivered to Ethiopia's Heritage Directorate on December 3, 2024.
• During his visit, Barrot also announced a €7 million project to support sustainable heritage development in Ethiopia, building on France's prior investments in preserving historic sites like Lalibela and the National Palace.

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