How were Timbuktu’s Sufi mausoleums damaged during the 2012 conflict?

During the 2012 conflict in Mali, Islamic militants—specifically the group known as Ansar Dine—took control of Timbuktu and imposed a strict version of Sharīʿah (Islamic law) on the city's inhabitants.1

These militants deemed many of the city's historic religious monuments and artifacts to be idolatrous. Consequently, they damaged or destroyed several mausoleums of Sufi saints, including those housed at the Djinguereber and Sidi Yahia mosques. In response to this destruction and the broader armed conflict, Timbuktu was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger in 2012. Restoration work to repair the damaged sites began after the militants were routed from the town in early 2013.12