Armed individuals in Mali have reportedly killed a prominent TikTok figure who had been showing support for the country’s military, officials stated on Monday. Mariame Cissé was taken from a weekly market in Echel on Friday and later found executed in front of a crowd at Independence Square in Tonka, as per Yehia Tandina, the mayor of Timbuktu.
Although the killing was confirmed by Mamadou Konipo, the mayor of Tonka in the Timbuktu region, he mentioned a lack of further details. Tonka, situated about 150 kilometers from Timbuktu along the Niger River, is a known area of operation for the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM).
Despite no specific group claiming responsibility for the act, Cissé, with over 140,000 followers on TikTok, occasionally shared images of herself in military attire, which is believed to have attracted the attention of the assailants.
Tandina disclosed that Cissé had received death threats leading up to her abduction. The incident was verified by two local sources who requested anonymity due to safety concerns. Both sources did not witness the execution firsthand but were informed of the details by onlookers and Cissé’s family.
One of Cissé’s TikTok videos depicted her wearing military gear with the caption “Vive Mali,” where she aimed to showcase and support her community and the efforts of the Malian army. Mali has been grappling with armed confrontations since 2012, with an increase in violence over the past decade, culminating in military takeovers to address the security challenges.
JNIM, operating predominantly in rural areas, has imposed a fuel blockade on the landlocked nation, exacerbating the prevailing insecurity situation.