BAMAKO, Mali – The killing of a young Malian TikToker, seized during a live-stream and executed days later, has sent shockwaves through the West African nation, highlighting the brutal reach of jihadist groups and the severe security crisis gripping the country.
Mariam Cissé, a woman in her 20s with over 100,000 followers on the social media platform, was abducted by suspected jihadists last Thursday while she was live-streaming from a market in a town near her home of Tonka, in the northern Timbuktu region, according to a report by French public radio RFI.
Her brother, speaking to the AFP news agency, said the militants accused her of “informing the Malian army of their movements.” Over the weekend, her ordeal ended in tragedy. She was transported by motorbike to her hometown and executed by gunfire in Tonka’s Independence Square as a warning to others, an act her brother was forced to witness from the crowd.
“A security source told AFP that Ms. Cissé had been assassinated because she had been accused of filming jihadists ‘for the Malian army’.”
A Voice for the Army Silenced
Ms. Cissé’s TikTok channel was a vibrant window into life in northern Mali, but it was also a platform for her patriotic fervor. In her videos, she often expressed support for the Malian armed forces, sometimes appearing in military uniform. Her posts were captioned with phrases like “Vive Mali” (Long Live Mali), a public stance that appears to have made her a target.
The Malian state broadcaster, in a tribute, stated that she had “simply wanted to promote her community and support the army through her TikTok posts.” Her death underscores the extreme dangers faced by civilians in a conflict where jihadist groups ruthlessly enforce their rule and punish any perceived collaboration with the state.
Execution Coincides with Deepening National Crisis
The brutal killing amplifies the alarm over Mali’s rapidly deteriorating security situation. The country is currently grappling with a severe fuel blockade imposed on the capital, Bamako, by jihadist groups, severely disrupting daily life and crippling the economy.
For weeks, militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate have attacked fuel tankers on major highways, exploiting Mali’s landlocked status, which makes it dependent on road transport from neighbors like Senegal and Ivory Coast. The crisis has forced the government to shut down schools and universities for weeks, with no immediate resolution in sight.
The situation has grown so dire that on Friday, the French foreign ministry advised its citizens to leave Mali “urgently” while commercial flights remain available.
International Concern Mounts
The African Union (AU) has expressed “deep concern” over the escalating crisis. AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the “deliberate attacks against innocent civilians” that have caused “unacceptable loss of lives and heightened instability.”
In a statement on Sunday, Mahamat said he was concerned about the “rapid deterioration of the security situation where terrorist groups have imposed blockades, disrupted access to essential supplies, and severely worsened humanitarian conditions for civilian populations.” He added that the AU was ready “to support Mali, as well as all Sahel countries, during this particularly challenging period.”
The military junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup promising to restore security, has so far been unable to stem the jihadist insurgency that began in 2012. Large swathes of the north and east remain outside government control, and the brazen public execution of Mariam Cissé is a stark testament to the militants’ enduring power and the profound challenges facing the nation.
