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Director-General condemns renewed destruction of mausoleums in Timbuktu

Friday, 19 October 2012
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Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the renewed destruction of mausoleums in northern Mali, near the World Heritage city of Timbuktu.

“This new act of destruction marks an escalation of violence and testifies of the deliberate will to erase symbols of a tolerant and open Islam, deeply enshrined in this region of Sahel. This is an inacceptable attack against the cultural and spiritual identity of the people”, the Director-General said. “I condemn all such attacks against culture and call for a renewed commitment by all to respect and mutual understanding”

The present statement by the Director-General comes in the wake of earlier condemnations of the destruction of heritage properties in Mali, both by the Director-General and by the World Heritage Committee.

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