Dakar, Senegal-is the largest piece of Mars on the ground-Nizak 54 lbs (25 kilograms) that brought more than 5 million dollars at an auction in New York last month, leasing a global record.
But in the West African State of Niger, where the rusty rock was discovered in the desert desert, officials launched an investigation into what they call “illegal international trafficking”, claiming that it may have been smuggled outside the country.
Here is what to know about meteorites and legal conflict:
How to be found
Sothebez said the rock, named NWA 16788, was detonated from the surface of Mars through a huge asteroid blow and traveled 140 million miles (225 million km) to the ground.
It was discovered in the desert in the northwest of Niger by the Nizak hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity has not been revealed. The identity of the buyer was not last month.
Meteorological hunting grows in arid countries such as Niger. Although meteorites can fall anywhere on the ground, the desert has become a major place to discover them in part because of the climate favorable to preserve it.
Fishermen often search for space rocks that can be sold to the association or scientists. The rarest and the most valuable of Mars and the moon.
According to the Heritage Academic Magazine, the rock was sold to an international merchant before it ended in a special high in Italy. The publication said that a team of scientists from the University of Florence examined the rock last year to learn more about its structure and where it came before the fall to the ground.
The meteorite was also briefly displayed in Rome before it was seen in public places in New York last month during the auction.
Why does Niger achieve
After selling, Niger raised questions about how the meteorite is sold at a public auction.
The Niger government announced an investigation last month to determine the conditions of the discovery and sale of the meteorite, saying in a statement “closer to the unlawful international trafficking.”
Last week, President Abdhaman Tianyan suspended the export of “precious stones, semi -available and descending stones” in an attempt to ensure their tracking.
Sotheby said in a statement sent to the Associated Press Agency, the meteorite was exported from Niger and was transferred in line with all relevant international measures.
“As with everything we sell, all the necessary documents were at every stage of its journey, according to the best practices and the requirements of the countries concerned.” Read the statement.
The authorities in Niger did not answer AP questions.
What does international law say
Patti Gresnalth, a lawyer for cultural heritage and an expert in illegal trade, said that, under the UNESCO Conference on Cultural Property – which was believed by Niger and the United States – can be rare minerals, such as meteorites, qualified as a cultural ownership, said Patti Gresnalth, a lawyer for cultural heritage and an expert in illegal trade.
However, Geerstenblith said that Niger should be able to prove that it owns the meteorite and that it was stolen, because the illegal export of the country does not make the meteorite illegal in the United States
“If the meteorite is not stolen, and if it is announced correctly upon importing to the United States, it will not seem that Niger can recover the meteorite,” she said to AP.
Paul Sirino, the fossil world who has spent years detecting dinosaurs in the Niger desert, is conducting a campaign to restore the country’s cultural and natural heritage – including meteorites.
“When you have laws clearly say that rare minerals like meteorites are cultural artifacts, you can not simply come in something unique and very value for a country,” he said to AP.
“We are no longer in the colonial area anymore,” he added.
Some countries, like Morocco, require one of the leading sources of meteorites in the international market, to restore if things are discovered on their soil. But the enforcement was a challenge due to the vast desert areas and informal trading networks.