Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi: Mali jihadist facing war crimes trial in The Hague over Timbuktu mausoleum desecration
The International Criminal Court is the first ever to charge an individual for war crimes against a historic and cultural monument
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It was, the prosecutor said, “a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations and their religion and historical roots”, as she laid out war crime charges against Mali jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi. Yet this was not about taking lives or physically torturing victims, but something unprecedented in international law: the desecration of cultural heritage.
The hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague is the first ever to charge an individual for war crimes against a historic and cultural monument – in this case, the mausoleums of Timbuktu.
Mr al-Faqi, a former trainee teacher, is accused of leading the 2012 attack by al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Dine against the 15th century historic shrines. An ethnic Tuareg, known as Abu Tourab, he sat impassively in court, wearing a collarless white tunic and rimless spectacles, with his headphones barely visible under his straggly black curly hair. He only responded once, when the court’s president, Judge Joyce Aluoch, addressed him directly. “Yes, I have understood the charges well,” he said, in Arabic.
Mr al-Faqi was among Tuareg rebels that seized Timbuktu for a few months in 2012, before French and Malian troops ousted them the following year. He was arrested in neighbouring Niger and transferred to the court last September.
As leader of the so-called “manners brigade”, Mr al-Faqi is accused of planning and leading the attacks on nine mausoleums and a mosque with pick-axes and iron bars. The prosecution showed video clips of him being interviewed at the time, explaining the Islamic jurisprudence behind his actions.
Founded by Tuareg tribes in the 5th century, Timbuktu has near mythical status as “the city of 333 saints” and the “Pearl of the Desert”.
Prosecutors noted that its destruction was among a series of recent cultural desecrations, including the razing of Palmyra in Syria by Isis; the bombing of Aleppo by Syrian combatants and Russia forces; and the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments