The first person to be charged with the destruction of religious monuments as a war crime has been sent to The Hague to face trial.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) says suspected Islamist Ahmad al-Mahdi al-Faqi, had been surrendered by Niger authorities.
He is accused of destroying nine mausoleums and a mosque in the World Heritage city of Timbuktu.
Islamists occupied the city until they were ousted by French forces in 2013.
Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, said, "the people of Mali deserve justice for the attacks against their cities, their beliefs and their communities.
"Let there be no mistake: the charges we have brought against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi involve most serious crimes; they are about the destruction of irreplaceable historic monuments, and they are about a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations, and their religious and historical roots. The inhabitants of Northern Mali, the main victims of these attacks, deserve to see justice done," he added.
