Malian influencer executed following pro-military TikTok posts
Armed men in Mali killed TikTok influencer, Mariame Cissé, who had posted videos supporting the country’s military government, Africanews via Associated Press reported on 11th November.
The mayor of Mali’s Timbuktu, Yehia Tandina, spoke on 10th November about the killing. He explained that the 22-year-old influencer, who had over 100,000 followers on TikTok, had been abducted by armed men on 7th November while she was at a market in Echel.
The following day, Cissé was reportedly brought by these men to Independence Square in the town of Tonka, where she was executed in front of a crowd of people. This execution was confirmed by Tonka’s mayor, who offered no further information on the killing of Cissé.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killing, although it is highly likely this was done by a Jihadist group. Tonka – located 150km from Timbuktu along the Niger River – is a known operation area of Islamist Militant group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), who have ramped up efforts to undermine the authority of Mali’s military government since September.
While Cissé was not a member of the Malian military, she would sometimes post images of herself in military uniform to TikTok. Furthermore, Cissé was also a known supporter of the Sahel country’s military, releasing multiple posts in support of the Malian military. These social media posts are suspected to be linked to her abduction and killing, as Cissé reportedly received death threats several days before she was abducted.
Cissé’s death not only occurs in the midst of increasing restrictions on political expression and freedom of speech on social media from both the Malian government and Jihadist groups, but also in an intensifying political climate that has seen Mali’s capital, Bamako, brought to its knees by Jihadist coalition groups such as JNIM.
The killing of Cissé serves as a reminder of the current power held by JNIM in the rural regions under their control. Armed groups are not only able to restrict the transfer of goods, but are also able to abduct and execute individual targets.
Ultimately, the killing of the TikTok influencer highlights the dangers of having a platform in Mali. With increasing crack downs on freedom of speech across the country, as well as escalating violence from extremist groups, the killing of Cissé serves as a horrific yet predictable act.
Africanews via Associated Press, Maghrebi.org
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