The English newspaper “The National” said in a report that Libya is seeking to recover looted artifacts, in an archaeological dispute with the United Kingdom.
The antiquities issue has sparked tensions between Libya and the United Kingdom, where they clash over the fate of historical artifacts belonging to the greater city of Leptis.
Libyans say these pieces were looted by the British in the nineteenth century, while the UK maintains they were gifts from the governor of coastal Tripoli in 1817 and has so far resisted all calls for their return.
Continuous efforts are underway by the Libyan authorities and international organizations to preserve and restore the country’s cultural heritage, and experts and activists express the urgent need for cooperation between the two countries in order to achieve a final settlement of this conflict, ensure the protection of historical monuments in Libya and respect their cultural rights.
A 2,000-year-old funerary statue of the Greek goddess Persephone was returned in 2021, which was also stolen from Cyrene in 2011 and transported to the UK.
In a related context, a funeral statue commemorating an unknown man at his grave was returned from the Louvre Museum in Paris, after it was stolen during the events of 2011.
The Libyan government mandated by the House of Representatives approves the establishment of Kufra University