MALI QUIT RUINING YOUR NATION

NPR:

Morning Edition today catches up on the news from Mali, where as we reported last week Islamist extremists are destroying centuries-old historical sites in Timbuktu because they find them offensive.

Human Rights Watch senior researcher Corinne Dufka, who is in Mali, tells show host Renee Montagne that the destruction of tombs and other sites sacred to Sufis continues. And because there is no legitimate government in the country now, there’s seemingly little that can be done, Dufka says. About all other African nations are trying to do is “contain and stop foreign Islamists from coming into Mali,” she says.

Mali’s democratically elected president was toppled in a coup earlier this year. Rebel groups have since moved to grab parts of the nation.

Meanwhile, a “serious humanitarian crisis” is growing, Dufka warns. About 300,000 people have fled to neighboring countries to avoid the fighting between various forces. There’s a “looming famine,” Dufka says.