France returns 3,500 ancient artefacts to Ethiopia

France has initiated the return of approximately 3,500 archaeological artefacts to Ethiopia, decades after they were taken to Paris for study. The handover began on Saturday, November 30, with a ceremonial transfer of three prehistoric tools at the National Museum in Addis Ababa.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot presented two prehistoric stone axes, known as bifaces, and a stone cutter to Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa during the event.

“These tools are samples of nearly 3,500 artefacts from the excavations that were carried out on the Melka Kunture site,” Barrot said. Melka Kunture is a significant cluster of prehistoric sites located south of Addis Ababa, excavated under the direction of a late French researcher.

France and Ethiopia have a long-standing bilateral agreement to collaborate in archaeology and palaeontology, a partnership highlighted during the handover ceremony.

Laurent Serrano, cultural advisor at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, clarified that this transfer is not classified as restitution. “This is a handover, not a restitution, in that these objects have never been part of French public collections,” he told AFP.

Serrano explained that the artefacts, dating back between 1 and 2 million years, were discovered during decades of excavation work near the Ethiopian capital. Currently stored at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, the full collection will be transferred to the Ethiopian Heritage Directorate on Tuesday, December 3.