Prehistoric artefacts from Morocco displayed on a table at the repatriation ceremony in Santiago, Chile Courtesy the National Monuments Council, Chile
At a repatriation ceremony at the National Library of Chile in Santiago on Monday (13 May), Chilean authorities returned 117 fossils dating back 400 million years to Morocco. The artefacts had been confiscated from smugglers by Chilean customs officials between 2017 and 2022.
“Chilean customs’ seizure of these Moroccan-origin fossils and their return to the kingdom is a clear example of both countries’ commitment to combating illicit access to cultural property in accordance with international law,” said Nélida Pozo Kudo, director of Chile’s National Heritage Service.
“Smuggling of antiquities and fossils dating back millions of years may be worse than drug trafficking,” said Kenza El Ghali, Morocco’s ambassador to Chile.
Representatives of the two countries also took this opportunity to sign a cultural collaboration agreement.
