Christians in Mali have expressed outrage that churches destroyed and damaged in the almost year long occupation of northern Mali by Islamic militants are not being included in reconstruction plans.
SCARS OF CONFLICT: Bullet holes in the wall of what was once the Court on Justice in the Malian city of Gao (taken in August, 2013). PICTURE: UN Photo
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Yattara, president of the Baptist Church which is mainly located in northern Mali, told the World Watch Monitor in comments published this week that Christians were “outraged” the churches had not been included in reconstruction plans by national and international organisations including UNESCO.
“We do not understand why a UN agency can rebuild mausoleums, which are still used as mosques, where people go to pray, while when it comes to churches, nothing is done – despite all our efforts to sensitise the government and international organisations,” he told WWM’s Illia Djadi.
Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda seized the northern part of Mali in April 2012 and held it for almost a year before being driven back by French forces in an operation launched in January last year. During the occupation, the worship of other religions was banned and places of worship – including churches – desecrated and looted.
Dr Yattara, who said the militants wanted to “wipe out any trace of Christianity in the north of Mali”, estimated the damage to churches amounts to “hundreds of millions” in local currency.
“We have lost most of our buildings but also vehicles and other objects of inestimable value. The churches are in ruins: in Gao, in Niafounk‚àö¬©, in Hombori and other towns occupied by jihadists,” he told WWM. “In Timbuktu, for example, in addition to buildings, our “Water Project” set up over a period of 20 years, and which has cost billions, is no longer operational, because all the materials were stolen. This constitutes a heavy blow to the population, the main beneficiaries of this project.”
Fighting continued in Mali this week even as peace talks between the government and the mainly Tuareg rebel groups began. Four UN peacekeepers killed and 15 more injured when a landmine exploded.
Mali is home to the World Heritage-listed city of Timbuktu.
