TikTok influencer Mariam Cisse was executed by suspected jihadists in Mali after being accused of collaborating with the country’s military.
According to a report from METRO UK, a popular Malian TikTok star, Mariam Cisse, was executed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists on November 7 after being accused of aiding Mali’s army.
Cisse, who was in her 20s, was shot dead in Tonka, northern Timbuktu region, by suspected members of Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The social media influencer, who had around 90,000 followers, frequently posted videos supporting the Malian military and was known for wearing army uniforms in her clips.
Her brother told AFP that “my sister was arrested on Thursday [November 6] by the jihadists,” adding that she was accused of “informing the Malian army of their movements.” Reports said she was seized from a local fair while livestreaming and taken out of the city before being shot dead in Tonka’s Independence Square the next day.
A security source described her killing as a “barbaric” act, while a local official condemned it as an “ignoble act” meant to deter public support for the military.
Mali, under military rule, has faced a persistent jihadist insurgency since 2012, alongside wider instability across the Sahel region. The incident has sparked outrage and fear across the country.