Manuscrits millénaires de Tombouctou: opération sauvetage en cours!

Cultural and heritage sites have always been a prime target for terrorist cells. In Africa, and more specifically in Mali, history seems to be repeating itself. During the 2012 occupation of northern Mali by radical extremists, militiamen burned or destroyed several libraries in Timbuktu containing thousands of priceless ancestral manuscripts—unique documents dating back to the early days of Islam. The NGO Savama-DCI managed to save 360,000 manuscripts during a covert operation conducted while the fighting raged. Today, these treasures of world heritage are being restored and digitized in Bamako.