Rare Ethiopian manuscript stolen by British forces triggers restitution row

A sacred book looted by British forces from an Ethiopian king has prompted an intense ownership dispute after it resurfaced in a private sales catalogue nearly 160 years after it was stolen.The Gondarine Gospel, an ancient bible originally in the possession of Emperor Tewodros II, was listed among rare books meant to be sold at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It was listed for sale at $250,000.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘For Ethiopia’s heritage’: War hero’s family fights to reclaim stolen medallist 2 of 4Lebanon returns 37 artefacts smuggled out of Egypt six years agolist 3 of 4Stolen Matisse art found in Brazillist 4 of 4Art offers young Gaza survivors solace and escape from war’s devastationend of listEthiopian authorities have urgently requested that the relic be removed and returned on ‘moral and ethical’ grounds.The matter has provoked calls for wider-scale restitution of looted artefacts in Ethiopia. It has also reignited ongoing global debates over the responsibility of Western museums and collectors to return hundreds of thousands of Africa’s stolen treasures.“There are clear moral grounds for art dealers to avoid selling items which are es...