Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi at the ICC

Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi is charged with the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against religious and historic monuments in Timbuktu, Mali, between June 19 and July 10, 2012, when the city was occupied by Islamist rebels. 

A member of Ansar Eddine—an Islamist armed group that seeks the imposition of sharia law in Mali—Al Faqi purportedly worked closely with the leaders of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Ansar Eddine, and was involved in the destruction of religious and historic monuments.

This is the first time that a member of an Islamist armed group has been charged by the ICC, and the first time the prosecutor has brought a case against an individual solely on a charge of attacking and destroying religious and cultural monuments. The targets of the attacks included the tombs of Sufi saints, and ancient manuscripts, in a cultural center that has been globally recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bosco Ntaganda, the Congolese milita leader, is also facing the same charge of destruction of protected buildings, over attacks on a hospital and a church.  

This briefing paper provides background to the case.