A 22-year-old TikTok star, Mariam Cissé, has been brutally executed by suspected jihadists in Mali’s Timbuktu region after she publicly declared support for the country’s army on social media.
Cissé, known for posting patriotic videos on TikTok, was reportedly abducted while livestreaming at a local market in Tonka and executed the next day in Independence Square, before a crowd forced to witness the act.
Local reports said the armed men, believed to be fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked terror group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), accused Cissé of espionage for the Malian military.
Her “crime,” witnesses said, was a recent video in which she appeared wearing a Malian army uniform and captioned it, “Vive Mali” (Long live Mali).
“They said she was helping the army. She was taken from the market and killed in front of everyone,” one eyewitness told local media.
The militants reportedly claimed her social media activity amounted to collaboration with government forces battling insurgents in northern Mali.
The execution has triggered widespread outrage across the country and among Malian social media users, many of whom described her killing as a “barbaric attack on freedom of expression.”
Residents of Tonka and nearby communities have reportedly fled their homes as jihadists enforce harsh restrictions and carry out public punishments.
The same JNIM militants are said to be enforcing a blockade in the Timbuktu region, which has led to fuel shortages, school closures, and the postponement of university examinations.
Local traders say food and fuel prices have more than doubled, while supply routes to Bamako have been heavily disrupted, worsening hardship for millions.
The African Union (AU) has condemned the killing, expressing deep concern over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Mali.
In a statement, the AU urged the country’s ruling military junta to intensify efforts to protect civilians and bring the perpetrators of such atrocities to justice.
“Acts of intimidation and violence against non-combatants must end,” the statement read.
The AU also called for international support to stabilise Mali and prevent extremist groups from tightening their grip on the Sahel region.
