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El hadji Abdramane Ben Issayouti Imam of Timbuktu Djingareyber Mosque poses in front of the Holy site Apri 10, 2006 ahead of the Maouloud festival, marking the birth of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. Timbuktu is known for its historic mosques, cemeteries, and mausolea. (Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images)
Islamist militants have desecrated the tomb of a Muslim saint in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, it was reported.
The militants were identified as members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is based in North Africa and has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Algeria and the kidnappings of Westerners. They were aided by Ansar Dine, which supported a rebel uprising several weeks ago against the Malian government, AFP reported.
The militants “have destroyed the tomb of Saint Sidi (Mahmoud Ben) Amar. They set fire to the tomb,” a local official told the news agency. He added that the militants threatened to destroy other tombs in Timbuktu, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and considered the cradle of Islamic learning.
The town has been under the control of Tuareg-led rebels and Ansar Dine over the past several weeks, the groups aiming to impose Shariah in North Africa. Mali’s unrest has been traced back to a March 22 coup that ousted the democratically elected president from power and left a security gap in the northern part of the country.
Sanda Ould Boumama, a spokesperson with Ansar Dine, told The Associated Press that “a new member of the Ansar Dine group” set fire to the tomb “ to tell the faithful praying there that the saints” should not be worshiped. He did not elaborate and say whether Ansar Dine itself supported the act.
