The UN’s cultural wing has reported the destruction of precious mausoleums during a takeover by Muslim militants of northern Mali to the International Criminal Court (ICC), its head said on a visit on Saturday to witness their reconstruction.
Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents seized Timbuktu — about 1,000km northeast of Mali’s capital, Bamako — as well as the West African nation’s other desert towns and cities in 2012.
They wrecked 16 of its shrines to Muslim saints that date back to the ancient caravan city’s 15th and 16th century golden age as an economic, intellectual and spiritual center.
“UNESCO has involved the International Criminal Court with the destruction of the mausoleums,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova told reporters at the end of a visit to Timbuktu.
“Two months ago I met the prosecutor and I believe they are progressing rapidly, and I hope they will be ready to present the case before the ICC,” she added, without giving details of what charges would be brought.
The mausoleums are designated as World Heritage monuments by UNESCO, and Bokova said destroying a cultural heritage was considered a war crime under the UN’s 1954 Hague Convention.
UNESCO began rebuilding Timbuktu with the Malian government and other international organizations after a 2013 French-led military operation drove the extremists out of the city.
The reconstruction, which started last year, relies heavily on traditional building methods and cultural knowledge of the area, generating about 140 local jobs.
The entire restoration project is expected to last four years and cost US$11 million.
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