Why Mali should immediately sign the 1999 Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict:
In May 2012, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Africa travelled to Bamako to meet with government representatives about steps that might be taken to protect Mali’s cultural heritage. Already then the ancient city of Timbuktu was under the control of Islamic rebels who were threatening to destroy the city’s ancient heritage. Together, the government and UNESCO agreed …