UNESCO pledges to help restore the world heritage site of Bandiagara, partly destroyed by the conflict raging in central Mali.

The Malian security crisis, fuelled by jihadist groups and inter-community tensions, has led to the destruction of nearly 30 villages, classified as a World Heritage site, in the Mopti region.

The UNESCO project, financed to the tune of one million dollars through the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones (ALIPH). to renovate "housing, granaries and sites devoted to traditional culture," the organization said in a statement.