https://english.almayadeen.net/news/art-culture/germany-to-return-stolen-nigerian-benin-bronzes

Germany to return stolen Nigerian Benin Bronzes

The Nigerian government signed a statement in Berlin on Friday stipulating the return of 1,130 Benin Bronzes from Germany.

According to a news statement issued by Nigeria's Ministry of Information and Culture, the historic joint proclamation would pave the way for the repatriation of bronzes plundered from the ancient Benin Kingdom during the Benin Expedition of 1897, 125 years ago.

Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Information and communication, hailed the intended return as the ”single largest repatriation of artefacts anywhere in the world," during the signing ceremony.

According to Mohammed, Germany has taken the lead in righting historical wrongs by offering to restore plundered artifacts.

Although Nigeria was never a German colony, he claims that many of the artifacts in German public institutions came from there through commerce and contributions.

“I have no doubt in my mind that this pace-setting action by the Federal Government of Germany will become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property to their place of origin, as other museums and institutions are expected to take a cue from what Germany has done,” Mohammed stated.

In the same context, Glasgow officials held talks with a delegation from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) last week about the return of 19 Benin objects.

Earlier this year, two British colleges repatriated to Nigeria two Benin bronzes plundered by British colonialists in the nineteenth century.

In total, Glasgow plans to restore 51 objects to their original owners' descendants from India, Nigeria, and the Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux tribes in the US state of South Dakota.

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https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-taliban-to-discuss-releasing-frozen-afghan-funds-after-ea

US, Taliban to discuss releasing frozen Afghan funds after earthquake

Officials say the US and the Taliban will hold discussions in Qatar on Thursday about unfreezing part of Afghanistan's reserves in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, especially after Washington allocated half of the frozen sum to 9/11 victims' families, which Taliban at the time slammed as theft and moral decline of the US.

According to The New York Times, the intricate strategy is intended to address a slew of legal blockages originating from the September 11 attacks and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House claimed it is working "urgently" on the endeavor, but an Afghan central bank board member indicated it could take some time to complete.

The Taliban's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha for talks, according to Taliban Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hafiz Zia Ahmed.

The State Department said its ambassador to Afghanistan, Tom West, would participate, and said the US was interested in a variety of issues, including human rights and opening schools for girls.

Frozen funds

At the time, Washington froze $7 billion in reserves, while the international community suspended billions in direct help that Afghanistan and its 40 million people had relied on.

Although some help has been restored, the currency has fallen and the country has descended into a catastrophic economic catastrophe.

The 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan last week, killing over 1,500 people and displacing tens of thousands, adds urgency to the funding argument.

"Negotiations are underway and it is our expectation that a final proposal under discussion will be finalized," said Shah Mehrabi, member of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.

However, details on "the mechanism to transfer the reserves to the Central Bank has not been finalized," he told AFP. "It is going to take a while. These things do not happen overnight."

'Get these funds moving'

On her part, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that steps were ongoing "to get these cash moving" from the frozen reserves.

"We are urgently working to address complicated questions about the use of these funds to ensure they benefit the people of Afghanistan and not the Taliban," she told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to Europe.

The frozen deposits amount to $3.5 billion, which is half of the total amount banned by the US government, with the other half being stolen by the US as described by The Guardian, which reported that taking Afghan money to pay grieving Americans in order to punish the Taliban is nothing less than larceny as collective punishment.

"I have argued that these reserves should be released to the Central Bank," said Shah Mehrabi, member of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.

He proposed a "limited, monitored release of reserves" of about $150 million each month to pay for imports. That would help "stabilize prices and help meet the needs of ordinary Afghans so that they can afford to buy bread, cooking oil, sugar, and fuel," alleviating the misery of families facing high inflation, he said.

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