Niger’s Meteorite Mystery: Exposing Illicit Trafficking Tied to U.S. Auction

In a troubling development that underscores global failures to protect sovereign resources, Niger has launched an official investigation into the suspicious sale of a rare meteorite on American soil. This isn’t just about an astronomical artifact; it’s about the exploitation of African natural heritage and the alarming ease with which such treasures slip through national controls to fetch multimillion-dollar prices abroad. On July 16, Sotheby’s auctioned off a massive fragment of a meteorite discovered in Niger’s Ténéré desert for an astonishing $5.3 million. Weighing nearly 25 kilograms and estimated as one of the largest pieces of Martian rock ever found...