Timbuktu, in Mali, was once the centre of trans-Saharan trade, dealing in gold, salt, ivory and slaves.  It was invigorated by many cultures.  It then became an important centre of Islamic scholarship and worship, resulting in wonderful mosques and tombs to grace African civilisation.

Now these mosques and tombs are being desecrated and destroyed by Islamic fanatics who call themselves Ansar Dine, which means “defenders of the faith”.

In the name of Islam they are smashing holy relics of Islam with  shovels and picks.

Not for the first time in history, those who violate  religious shrines pretend to be acting piously.
 In Afghanistan the Taliban  destroyed monumental statues of the Buddha that were 1 500 years old.

The AU must act to stop the sacrilege in Timbuktu. 

It is an outrage against ancient Africa.

This could be Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s first task in her new job as AU chairman.