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Islamic extremists face citizen uprising in Mali
Source: The Guardian
Islamic extremists face citizen uprising in Mali
Afua Hirsch
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 July 2012 18.14 BST
Islamist extremists in northern Mali are facing a growing uprising as residents in the towns held by Al-Qaida-linked rebels launch a series of fight backs.
Near Timbuktu, part of the vast area of the country controlled by Islamist groups, youths have been taking to the streets armed with machetes and sticks to protest against rebel control.
"The youths are marching, they are taking up arms, they are using whatever weapons they can find," Halle Ousmane Cissé, the mayor of Timbuktu, told the Guardian. "They are protesting against the destruction of our culture, the arrest and abuse of our local residents."
Residents in towns and cities in northern Mali have expressed fury at the arrival of Islamist fighters, from countries such as Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have imposed a strict interpretation of sharia law and have conducted public whippings. In Timbuktu, a world heritage site due to its ancient mosque and shrines to Muslim saints, half of the mausoleums and tombs are estimated to have been destroyed.
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Afua Hirsch
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 July 2012 18.14 BST
Islamist extremists in northern Mali are facing a growing uprising as residents in the towns held by Al-Qaida-linked rebels launch a series of fight backs.
Near Timbuktu, part of the vast area of the country controlled by Islamist groups, youths have been taking to the streets armed with machetes and sticks to protest against rebel control.
"The youths are marching, they are taking up arms, they are using whatever weapons they can find," Halle Ousmane Cissé, the mayor of Timbuktu, told the Guardian. "They are protesting against the destruction of our culture, the arrest and abuse of our local residents."
Residents in towns and cities in northern Mali have expressed fury at the arrival of Islamist fighters, from countries such as Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have imposed a strict interpretation of sharia law and have conducted public whippings. In Timbuktu, a world heritage site due to its ancient mosque and shrines to Muslim saints, half of the mausoleums and tombs are estimated to have been destroyed.
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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/17/islamist-extremists-alqaida-uprising-mali
