Mali TikToker Executed by Jihadists for Alleged Army Collaboration

Mariam Cisse, a popular TikTok content creator with 90,000 followers, was abducted and executed by suspected jihadists in northern Mali, according to family members and local officials on Sunday.

The young woman had gained popularity for her videos showcasing the city of Tonka in Mali's northern Timbuktu region. Her captors accused her of providing information to the Malian army about their movements.

Her brother informed AFP that she was seized on Thursday by jihadists. The following day, they transported her by motorcycle to Tonka where she was fatally shot in Independence Square. "I was among the crowd," her brother stated.

A security source, speaking anonymously, confirmed to AFP that "Mariam Cisse was assassinated in a public square in Tonka by jihadists who alleged she had filmed them for the Malian army," describing the execution as "barbaric."

A local official also verified the execution, condemning it as an "ignoble act."

The incident has shocked Mali, where the military junta continues to struggle against the jihadist insurgency that has destabilized the country since 2012.

In recent weeks, fighters affiliated with JNIM, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, have imposed a fuel blockade. This has compelled the government to close schools and has prevented agricultural harvesting across multiple regions.