'I am really sorry': Islamist rebel admits destroying holy sites in Timbuktu

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi appears at the International Criminal Court in The Hague Credit: Reuters

An Islamist militant has admitted destroying cultural and holy sites in Timbuktu during Mali's 2012 conflict at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi expressed his "deep regret" at the beginning of a trial which is the first of its kind to cite destroying cultural artifacts as a war crime.

  • A landmark trial of firsts

The landmark trial is also the first where a Islamist militant has appearedand the first time a suspect has pleaded guilty.

Madhu stands accused of leading a rebel group who destroyed historic shrines at the world heritage site and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Addressing the court, Mahdi said with "great pain" he had to enter a guilty plea and all the charges against him are "accurate and correct".

Mahdi also advised Muslims around the world against committing similar acts, saying "they are not going to lead to any good for humanity."

Raul Cano Pangalangan, presiding judge of the ICC, (top-middle) listens to Mahdi's statement. Credit: APTN

  • Mahdi's 'solemn promise'

Mahdi also appealed to the people of Timbuktu for their forgiveness for the mausoleums he destroyed.

He told the ICC: "I would like to make them a solemn promise that this was the first and the last wrongful act I will ever commit."

"I seek their forgiveness and I ask them to look at me as a son who has lost his way," Madhi added.

  • The destruction

Mahdi's rebel group is believed to have destroyed at least nine mausoleums and the door of a mosque in 2012 because they considered them totems of idolatry.

The rubble left from an ancient mausoleum destroyed in Timbuktu. Credit: Reuters

Most of the one-room structures that house the tombs of the city's great dated from the 14th-century and were on the World Heritage list.

Many ancient manuscripts were also destroyed during Timbuktu's occupation by Islamist rebel fighters Credit: Reuters

In 2013, after occupying Timbuktu for almost a year, the Islamist rebels were finally driven out by French forces, who arrested Mahdi in neighbouring Niger in 2014.

Following his guilty plea, Mahdi's trial is expected to conclude this week.