and led by the French, the extremist occupation failed.Ī UNESCO World Heritage site, Timbuktu symbolizes both the challenges and the potential of Africa, themes that have drawn 50 heads of state to Washington for the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Thanks to the resilience and ingenuity of the local population, and an international military intervention supported by the U.N. Tragically, Timbuktu most recently conjures memories of the 2012 occupation when armed groups, including al Qaeda-linked jihadists, committed grave human rights abuses, damaged mausoleums and shrines, torched manuscripts and banned music, the very lifeblood of Mali. And still others know it as the sacred intellectual capital of the Muslim world, synonymous with universities, debate and religious tolerance. To others, it connotes an ancient crossroads of trade, exotic goods and culture. To many, the name evokes a place of mythic remoteness.
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