A popular Malian TikTok personality known for posting videos praising the country’s military has been abducted and publicly executed by armed men, according to state television and local sources.
Mariam Cisse, who had nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok, was reportedly seized in the northern town of Tonka on Thursday and later shot dead in a public square, Mali’s state broadcaster ORTM reported.
The area where she was captured remains a conflict zone between Mali’s army and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
Two local sources, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, confirmed the incident.
One said they heard the account from someone who witnessed the execution, while the other said they were informed by Cisse’s family.
“Mariam was forcibly taken from the market in front of everyone,” one source said.
While one source said the execution occurred on Friday, both state TV and the other source indicated it happened on Saturday.
No group has claimed responsibility, though local officials suspect jihadist fighters active in the region.
In one of her recent TikTok videos, Cisse appeared in military fatigues with the caption “Vive Mali” Long live Mali.
“This young woman simply wanted to promote her community through her TikTok posts and encourage the Malian army in its mission to protect people and their property,” ORTM reported, without identifying the abductors.
Mali’s military-led government has faced increasing attacks from JNIM and other extremist factions.
The country is also grappling with a two-month fuel blockade imposed by al-Qaeda-linked militants, which has crippled the capital and heightened fears that jihadists could soon attempt to expand their control.
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