Timbuktu – Residents pass by Djingarey Berre Mosque, one of three UNESCO World Heritage mosques of Timbuktu, North of Mali. Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino Georges, a Malian journalist and blogger, has made a heartfelt appeal, condemning the fact that while monuments have been meticulously restored in his country, the same care has not been taken to confront sexual assault and rape of women. In his blog, which has the rather long title “Au Grin, Il se dit beaucoup de choses autour d’un verre de thé” (At the Grin, Much IS Talked About Around a Cup of Tea), he posted an article titled “Timbuktu: They are as innocent as the shrines!”. In it, he accused Malian and international judicial bodies of wanting to sweep the violence against women under the rug: Si vous suivez l’actualité internationale la condamnation de Ahmed Al Faqi Al Mahdi à neuf ans de prison n’a pas dû vous échapper. La Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI) a reconnu coupable ce djihadiste malien de la destruction en 2012 de la mosquée Sidi Yahia de Tombouctou ainsi que de 9 mausolées. Ahmed Al Faqi est le premier à être jugé pour des crimes commis au plus fort de la crise malienne, sous l’occupation des régions nord du pays. Mais les crimes commis ne se limitent pas uniquement à la destruction de biens culturels. Les groupes armés qui occupaient les lieux ont aussi perpétré des viols ainsi que d’autres formes de violences sexuelles sur des femmes et des jeunes filles. Malgré les 171 victimes recensées et les 113 plaintes portées pour les crimes de violences sexuelles personne n’a été inquiété par la justice à ce sujet. Ces victimes sont aussi innocentes que les mausolées, comme la porte de la mosquée Sidi Yahia. Mais où est passé l’important ?… Les mausolées détruits ont été restaurés et réhabilités avec l’aide de l’UNESCO. Il restait alors la porte de la mosquée Sidi Yahia, qui a elle aussi a été restaurée en septembre 2016 en présence de notables, d’habitants de Tombouctou, du représentant de l’UNESCO et de la MINUSMA … Je ne dis pas que la restauration de ces biens culturels, classés patrimoine culturel de l’humanité, n’est pas important. D’ailleurs je me réjouis pour la justice rendue aux édifices de Tombouctou. Mais ça ne doit pas se limiter à ça et s’arrêter là…. If you follow the international news, then you must have heard about Ahmed AL Faqi Al Mahdi’s condemnation to nine years in jail. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found this Malian jihadist guilty of the 2012 destruction of Timbuktu’s Sidi Yahia mosque, as well as nine mausoleums. Ahmed Al Faqi is the first one to be sentenced at the peak of the Malian crisis, during the occupation country’s northern regions. But the crimes committed are not only limited to the destruction of cultural assets. The armed forces occupying the area have also committed rapes as well as other types of sexual abuses against women and young girls. Despite the 171 reported victims and the 113 complaints made on the account of sexual abuses, no one has been questioned by judicial authorities about this issue. These victims are as innocent as the mausoleums, or the Sidi Yhia mosque door. But, what is more important?… With the help of UNESCO, the destroyed mausoleums have been restored and renovated. The only thing left was the Sidi Yahia mosque door which was restored in 2016 in attendance of notable residents of Timbuktu, the UNESCO and MINUSMA representatives…I’m not saying that restoring these cultural assets which are classified as world heritage sites is unimportant. It actually gives me great pleasure to know that justice has been served for the sake of Timbuktu buildings. But it shouldn’t be limited to these things, and stop there… The crimes against women Georges is referring to stem from a rebellion in the north of Mali in 2012 that left some areas under militant jihadist occupation for many long months. On 22 March 2012, President Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d'état over his handling of the crisis. As a consequence of the instability following the coup, Mali's three largest northern cities—Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu—were overrun by rebels. A newly formed government of Mali asked for foreign military help to re-take the north. By early 2013, the jihadist-held territory had been re-taken by the Malian military. Still, the conflict has resulted in Mali's worst human rights situation, as reported by Amnesty International with documented instances of gang rape and executions. On the other hand, Human Rights Watch report human rights abuses committed by the Malian army in the central Malian town of Niono. Tuaregs and Arabs were especially targeted. An International Criminal Court investigation in Mali is investigating the crimes that have happened during the conflict.