Addis Ababa, 2 July 2012: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, has learned, with dismay, about the deliberate destruction, by armed elements claiming to belong to the Ansar Din group, of several mausoleums of Muslim saints in Timbuktu, a city declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage site of Humanity since 1988. The Chairperson of the Commission strongly condemns this criminal act, which comes just days after UNESCO has decided to put Timbuktu on the list of World Heritage sites in Danger.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates AU’s deep concern at the continuing violations of human rights and other abuses by armed and terrorist groups that continue to occupy the northern part of Mali. The AU is equally concerned about the worsening humanitarian situation on the ground.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates AU’s commitment, in close collaboration with the Malian Government, ECOWAS and the countries of the region, as well as with the United Nations and the other international partners, to contribute to the implementation of appropriate measures for the rapid restoration of the authority of the Republic of Mali on this part of its territory and for the preservation of the national unity and territorial integrity of the country.

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