Mali has been shaken by the execution-style killing of Mariam Cissé, a female TikTok creator accused of supporting the army.
Cissé, reportedly in her 20s and followed by over 100,000 users on TikTok, frequently posted videos about life in her hometown of Tonka in the northern Timbuktu region, often expressing support for Mali’s military.
State TV described her posts as efforts to promote her community and back the army. Her death comes amid a long-running jihadist insurgency in Mali, ongoing since 2012, and escalating fuel blockades that have severely disrupted daily life in the capital, Bamako.
According to French public radio RFI, Cissé was seized by suspected jihadists while live-streaming from a market in a nearby town. Her brother told AFP that she had been accused of “informing the Malian army of their movements.” Over the weekend, she was reportedly taken back to Tonka by motorbike and executed at the town’s Independence Square while her brother was present.
A security source confirmed that she was targeted for allegedly filming jihadists on behalf of the Malian military. In some of her TikTok videos, Cissé wore a military uniform, with one post captioned Vive Mali (“Long Live Mali”).
Her death coincides with worsening conditions caused by the jihadist-imposed blockade, which has led to prolonged school and university closures. The Malian government has pledged to address the crisis and reopen educational institutions as soon as possible.
The humanitarian and security situation has raised international concern. The French Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to leave Mali where commercial flights remain available, while AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned “deliberate attacks against innocent civilians” and pledged support to Mali and other Sahel countries during the crisis.
Mali, a landlocked country, depends on fuel transported by road from neighboring states such as Senegal and Ivory Coast, making the jihadist blockade particularly disruptive. Despite a military takeover in 2021 and promises to improve security, large parts of northern and eastern Mali remain outside government control, leaving civilians vulnerable to attacks like the one that claimed Cissé’s life.
