UNESCO urges forces in Mali to protect heritage sites
FRANCE: UN cultural agency UNESCO on Tuesday urged Malian and French
forces fighting in Mali to protect ancient cultural sites during air
raids and ground attacks.
“I ask all armed forces to make every effort to protect the cultural
heritage of the country, which has already been severely damaged,”
UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement. French
warplanes have been hitting targets in various parts of the country
since Friday in support of Malian forces seeking to dislodge Islamist
rebels who last year seized control of its vast desert north.
The rebels have since fled three key cities in the north, including
Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site at a desert crossroads that was
an ancient centre of learning.
The extremists last year smashed up mausoleums of ancient saints and
the entrance to the 15th-century Sidi Yahya mosque in Timbuktu, claiming
the sites were blasphemous.
“Mali's cultural heritage is a jewel whose protection is important
for the whole of humanity,” Bokova said.
“The destruction of World Heritage sites in Mali in 2012, especially
the mausoleums in Timbuktu, sparked a wave of indignation across the
world, helping to raise awareness of the critical situation facing the
Malian people,” she said.
AFP
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