The International Criminal Court has sentenced a militant who destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu to nine years in jail.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi admitted to leading rebel forces who destroyed historic mausoleums at the world heritage site in Mali in 2012.
Judges at the court in The Hague found he had shown “remorse and empathy” for the crime.
It is the first sentence based on cultural destruction as a war crime. It is also the first time a suspected militant has stood trial at the ICC.
