2.7 million fine to former jihadist involved in Timbuktu mausoleum destructions

In 2012, he contributed to the destruction of ten mausoleums and religious sites in the UNESCO-protected and World Heritage-listed city of Timbuktu, Mali: now former jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi has been sentenced by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to a fine of 2.7 million euros in an Aug. 17 ruling. At the time of the events, which date back to 2012, the jihadist group Ansar Dine, of which al-Faqi al-Mahdi was a member, attacked the city as part of the Mali War. Ansar Dine is one of the parties involved in the ongoing conflict pitting the Malian government, supported by France, against the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, which claims independence for Mali’s northern region (the Azawad) and alongside which jihadist groups and Tuareg rebels are fighting. Following the attack on Timbuktu, members of Ansar Dine raged with pickaxes and bulldozers on the city’s ancient mausoleums, causing extensive damage: nine mausoleums, plus the door of the Sidi Yahya mosque, were eventually destroyed. These were monuments dating back to the golden age of the city, or the 14th century.

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi had already been sentenced in 2016 to nine years in prison: the court found him guilty of"war crimes consisting of the deliberate attack against religious and historical buildings in Timbuktu, Mali, in June and July 2012." This was the first case in history in which a terrorist was convicted of war crimes against cultural heritage: and the recent ruling sentencing him to a fine of 2.7 million euros is also unprecedented. However, the former terrorist does not have the means to meet the fine imposed on him, as he is indigent: consequently, the Court ordered that the state of Mali and Unesco should receive a symbolic euro from al-Faqi al-Mahdi, and encouraged the Trust Funds for Victims to compensate for the damages (the reconstruction plan must be ready by February 16, 2018). Indeed, the court, considering the importance of cultural heritage, the fact that “many sites are unique and endowed with great value,” and that “their destruction entails the destruction of part of humanity’s shared memory and collective consciousness,” as well as “the impossibility, on the part of humanity, to transmit its values and knowledge to future generations,” ordered the reparation of the Timbuktu sites, which must also include some symbolic measures such as “a memorial, commemoration or forgiveness ceremony” to “publicly acknowledge the moral damage suffered by the Timbuktu community.” Also ordered are reparations for those whose livelihoods depended on the attacked buildings.

The former jihadist had already expressed a profound apology at the time of his prison sentence. “I seek forgiveness and ask to be seen as a son who lost his way,” al-Faqi al-Mahdi had said in 2016. “Those who forgive me will be rewarded by the Almighty. And I would like to make them the solemn promise that this was the first and last mistake I made. All the accusations that have been made against me are accurate and correct. I am deeply sorry, and I am sorry for all the damage that my actions have caused.” The Hague Court reiterated in its Aug. 17 ruling that al-Faqi al-Mahdi’s apology is “genuine, categorical and empathetic.”

Image: Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi

2.7 million fine to former jihadist involved in Timbuktu mausoleum destructions

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