TikTok star executed by jihadists in Mali who accused her of filming them
A young woman who documented life in Mali and uploaded videos to TikTok has been kidnapped and executed by jihadists.
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Mariam Cisse, who posted videos about her life in the city of Tonka to 90,000 followers, was shot dead by suspected members of the notorious Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) terror group in a public square on November 7.
Her brother said she had been accused of “informing the Malian army of their movements.”
She was reportedly snatched from a local fair by armed men and taken by motorbike to Tonka, where she was shot dead in the middle of a town square.
Her brother told the AFP: “They took her on a motorbike to Tonka, where she was shot dead in Independence Square. I was in the crowd.”
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A security source said: “Mariam Cisse was executed publicly by jihadists who accused her of filming them and sharing information with the army.”
An official said the terrorists killer her in order to discourage Malians from showing support to government forces.
Mali is ruled by a military junta that is struggling to contain the jihadist insurgency that has gripped the country since 2012.
Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, the JNIM, have imposed a fuel blockade that has forced the government to close schools and prevented harvesting in several regions.