France returns three colonial-era human skulls to Madagascar

Rachida Dati, French Culture Minister, delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the return of three Sakalava skulls, those of two warriors and one believed to be that of slain Malagasy king Toera, taken by French troops during the colonisation of Madagascar in the late 19th century, at the Culture Ministry in Paris, France, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

PARIS (Reuters) -France on Tuesday returned three colonial-era skulls held in a Paris museum to Madagascar 128 years after they were taken to France, including one believed to be that of a Malagasy king killed by French troops.

The skull, presumed to be that of King Toera and two others from the Sakalava ethnic group, were formally handed over at a ceremony held at the French Culture Ministry.