An Islamist militant has plead guilty to war crimes for ordering the destruction of Timbuktu’s religious and cultural monuments, a spokesperson for the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed.

Mali’s intellectual and spiritual capital is inscribed on the UN World Heritage Site. Fourteen mausoleums of the site were destroyed by armed groups in 2012.

Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, a member of the Ansare Dine rebel group, could be jailed for 30 years for the crime.

On the line from The Hague, the ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah began by explaining Jocelyne Sambira why this trial is so important.

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