At a time when the so-called Islamic State continues its campaign
of destruction and pillaging of ancient sites in Syria and Iraq, the
International Criminal Court detained yesterday (September 26, 2015) Ahmad Al
Faqi Al Mahdi, the first individual charged with war crimes in connection with similarly
wanton acts in Mali in 2012.
When an Islamist group seized Timbuktu,
a listed world heritage site, in April of that year, many feared for the city's
remarkable architecture dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Those fears
proved justified as the Islamists destroyed many historical sites before they
were forced from the city in 2013.
Now, Mr. Al Faqi faces prosecution "concerning the
destruction of buildings dedicated to religion and historical monuments,"
having allegedly been involved in the destruction of nine mausoleums and the SidiYahia mosque.
It is to be hoped that the ICC will pursue similar cases
against other perpetrators, whether in Mali
or elsewhere.
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