Photograph of supposed members of Ansar Dine near the ancient city of Timbuktu in northern Mali on April 24, 2012. The north of Mali has been out of the control of the central government in Bamako since late March., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Extremists destroy Muslim saint’s tomb in Timbuktu
Sun May 6, 2012 2:35AM GMT
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Members of the Ansar Dine extremist group have attacked and burned the tomb of one of Timbuktu’s Muslim saints, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the West African nation of Mali.
Residents of Timbuktu and a regional official said on Saturday that the militants broke off doors, windows, and wooden gates from Saint Sidi (Mahmoud Ben) Amar’s tomb and set fire to them.
“They promised to destroy other tombs, Timbuktu is in shock. Now they want to take and control other tombs and manuscripts,” the official said.
El Hadj Baba Haidara, an elected member of parliament from Timbuktu, said that some young people were discussing how to respond, despite the fact that they were unarmed.
"There is a risk the people may revolt because this is something that affects their dignity. This tomb is sacred, it is too difficult to bear," Haidara said.
Timbuktu, sometimes called the city of 333 saints, is also home to nearly 100,000 ancient manuscripts. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 12th century, preserved in family homes and private libraries under the care of religious scholars.
Ansar Dine, along with Tuareg rebels and other armed groups, took advantage of a March 22 coup and swept through northern Mali.
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