Ansar Dine breaks the doors of Sidi Yahia mosque in Timbuktu
The Islamists who control the north of Mali continued on Monday, July 2 the destruction of Muslim religious buildings in Timbuktu and laid mines around the town of Gao to protect themselves from possible attacks by the rival MNLA forces or Malian soldiers with the Ecowas West African force.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Ansar-Dine-brea...
After having demolished during the weekend 7 of 16 mausoleums of Muslim saints, the Islamist armed
group Ansar Dine (Defenders of Islam) have gone a step further by breaking the front door one of the three largest mosques in the city.
Less than a week after heavy fighting (at least 35 dead) June 27 to Gao (Northeast) with the Tuareg rebellion of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), forced to abandon the city, Islamist Movement for the uniqueness and jihad in West Africa (Mujao) have laid mines around Gao to prevent a counter offensive by the MNLA and to keep the population from leaving the town.An Ecowas spokesman confirmed that mines had been laid to AFP.
Ansar Dine and Mujao, who now control the three major cities and the main administrative regions of northern Mali Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal are allied with al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Sidi Yahia Mosque is one of three great mosques of Timbuktu, and with those of Djingareyber Sankore. All three are on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites. Saints are buried in the mosques of Djingareyber and Sidi Yahia, experts says.
International condemnation of the serial destruction has come from many sources including Washington and Moscow.The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 members, has "deplored" the destruction "by fanatic elements" of mausoleums "are part of our rich Islamic heritage in Mali."
Condemnation by Algeria, for whom the saints and scholars buried in the mausoleums have "contributed to the development of Islam in the region and spreading the values of tolerance and spirituality".
The Secretary General of La Francophonie (OIF), Abdou Diouf, has called for an immediate halt to destruction by "extremist elements that occupy the city."The destruction of these monuments tears the heart of Malians and all those who have experienced these holy places, "said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, Djibril Bassole - whose country leads the West African mediation in the crisis in Mali - in denouncing "serious incidents".
The Minister also announced the holding of a Saturday mini-summit in West Africa to try to establish a " national unity government in Mali.
Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said on Sunday in Dakar that the destruction of religious property could be considered "war crime".
group Ansar Dine (Defenders of Islam) have gone a step further by breaking the front door one of the three largest mosques in the city.
Less than a week after heavy fighting (at least 35 dead) June 27 to Gao (Northeast) with the Tuareg rebellion of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), forced to abandon the city, Islamist Movement for the uniqueness and jihad in West Africa (Mujao) have laid mines around Gao to prevent a counter offensive by the MNLA and to keep the population from leaving the town.An Ecowas spokesman confirmed that mines had been laid to AFP.
Ansar Dine and Mujao, who now control the three major cities and the main administrative regions of northern Mali Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal are allied with al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Sidi Yahia Mosque is one of three great mosques of Timbuktu, and with those of Djingareyber Sankore. All three are on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites. Saints are buried in the mosques of Djingareyber and Sidi Yahia, experts says.
International condemnation of the serial destruction has come from many sources including Washington and Moscow.The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 members, has "deplored" the destruction "by fanatic elements" of mausoleums "are part of our rich Islamic heritage in Mali."
Condemnation by Algeria, for whom the saints and scholars buried in the mausoleums have "contributed to the development of Islam in the region and spreading the values of tolerance and spirituality".
The Secretary General of La Francophonie (OIF), Abdou Diouf, has called for an immediate halt to destruction by "extremist elements that occupy the city."The destruction of these monuments tears the heart of Malians and all those who have experienced these holy places, "said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, Djibril Bassole - whose country leads the West African mediation in the crisis in Mali - in denouncing "serious incidents".
The Minister also announced the holding of a Saturday mini-summit in West Africa to try to establish a " national unity government in Mali.
Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said on Sunday in Dakar that the destruction of religious property could be considered "war crime".
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Ansar-Dine-brea...