Armed men in Mali have killed a popular TikTok influencer who had publicly expressed support for the country’s military. Mariame Cissé, a young social media personality, was abducted from a weekly market in Echel on Friday and later executed in front of a crowd in Independence Square, Tonka, according to local authorities.

The mayor of Timbuktu, Yehia Tandina, confirmed the killing, stating that Cissé was taken by armed men and returned to Tonka the following day, where she was shot in public. The mayor of Tonka, Mamadou Konipo, also verified the incident but provided no additional details.

Tonka, a village situated approximately 150 kilometers from Timbuktu, is known to be an area of operation for the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). Although no group has claimed responsibility for Cissé’s killing, her social media activity, which included posting images of herself in military attire, may have drawn attention from the armed group.

Cissé, who had over 140,000 followers on TikTok, was not a member of the military but often expressed her support for the armed forces. According to Mayor Tandina, she had received death threats in the days leading up to her abduction. The killing highlights the ongoing insecurity in Mali, which has been battling armed groups since 2012. The country has experienced a surge in violence over the past decade, with the military seizing power in 2020 and another coup occurring in 2021.

The landlocked nation is currently under a fuel blockade imposed by JNIM, which operates in large areas of rural Mali. The killing of Mariame Cissé serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by civilians, particularly those who openly support the military, in a country plagued by violence and instability. As the situation continues to unfold, concerns about the safety of social media influencers and the impact of armed groups on civilians remain pressing issues in Mali.