The Netherlands has officially returned 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, more than a century after they were looted during Britain’s 1897 invasion of the former Kingdom of Benin, now in southern Nigeria.
The handover ceremony was held Saturday at the National Museum in Lagos, where four of the artefacts — including the Head of an Oba, the Bird of Prophecy, a Leopard statue, and a Carved Elephant Tusk — are now on display. The rest will be returned to Oba Ewuare II, the traditional ruler of Benin.
“These artefacts are not just objects. They are embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken,” said Olugbile Holloway, head of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments. “All we ask of the world is fairness, dignity, and respect.”
Dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries, the Benin Bronzes — crafted from bronze, ivory, and brass — have become symbols of Africa’s cultural heritage and the global push for restitution of colonial-era loot.
Germany has also pledged to return more than 1,000 similar items to Nigeria. In recent years, Nigeria has recovered pieces from institutions in the UK and the US as pressure mounts on Western museums to address their colonial legacies.
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Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
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Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Pakistan is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after the bloc’s leaders meet in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived on Friday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and SCO Plus Summit, which run until 2 September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying security operations should be handled only by state institutions, including the army and police.
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