February 09, 2004

» Italy returns the Axum obelisk to Ethiopia: now it's our turn to do the right thing

One of the country's most prized monuments was taken in 1937 when Italian soldiers marched into Axum in northern Ethiopia on the orders of Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

The 100-tonne obelisk, which marked the beginning of Ethiopian civilisation nearly 2,000 years ago, was hauled off in several huge pieces and shipped to Rome.