BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — In a disturbing incident, armed men in Mali have reportedly executed a local TikTok influencer, identified as Mariame Cissé, after she expressed support for the nation's military through her social media posts. Authorities confirmed the tragic event on Monday, shedding light on the dangers faced by those who publicly support the military in the region.
Cissé, a young creator with over 140,000 followers, was abducted on Friday while attending a weekly market in Echel. According to Yehia Tandina, the mayor of Timbuktu, the armed group returned her the following day at dusk, where they publicly executed her in Independence Square in Tonka, in front of a crowd. This shocking act has raised alarms regarding the ongoing violence and threats from extremist groups operating in the area.
The mayor of Tonka, Mamadou Konipo, has also confirmed the incident but indicated that he lacked further details regarding the circumstances surrounding Cissé's death. Tonka, a village situated along the Niger River approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Timbuktu, is known to be a stronghold for armed groups, particularly the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), which has been active in the region.
While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the execution, Cissé had received death threats in the days leading up to her abduction, according to reports from the Timbuktu mayor's office. Her posts, in which she occasionally appeared in military fatigues, may have attracted negative attention from these armed groups, highlighting the risks that social media influencers face in politically unstable regions.
The ongoing conflict in Mali has its roots in a struggle against armed groups that has persisted since 2012, which has greatly intensified over the past decade. The country's military took power in 2020, ostensibly to address the growing insecurity, and the situation has further deteriorated following another coup conducted by a military officer in 2021. Monitoring groups indicate that insecurity has escalated in the aftermath of these coups.
Large portions of Mali’s rural areas remain under the control of armed groups, with JNIM being the predominant force. Currently, the nation is under a fuel blockade instigated by JNIM, further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation. This tragic incident underscores the peril involved in expressing dissent or support for the military in a nation grappling with violent extremism and civil unrest.
