Overview
- The upper house approved the government bill unanimously on first reading and transmitted it to the National Assembly for further debate.
- The text mandates consultation of a permanent national commission as well as bilateral scientific committees that will apply precise criteria to each case.
- The scheme covers only items acquired between 1815 and 1972, setting a clear temporal limit for eligible claims.
- It is designed to handle current requests from Algeria, Mali and Benin, including effects linked to Emir Abdelkader, pieces from the Ségou treasure and a statue of the god Gou.
- The reform replaces slow, ad hoc processes constrained by the inalienability of public collections, following precedents such as the 2025 law returning Côte d’Ivoire’s Djidji Ayokwe drum.