Mali: Jihadists assassinate youth leader in Timbuktu region
Mali Jihadists assassinate youth leader, Amadou Baby, nicknamed "Marco", in Timbuktu region.
As internal strife in Mali continues to escalate, a youth leader has been assassinated by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JMIN), according to RFI and agencies on March 30th.
Amadou Baby, nicknamed “Marco”, was a young farmer known for his youth organisation in Tonka, roughly 150km from the northern Timbuktu region along the Niger River.
He was executed by six gunmen on motorcycles on March 27th, who attacked him after arriving in front of his shop.
JNIM likely targeted Baby because they accused the Tonka youth organisation of collaborating with the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA).
Following the escape of jihadists from Timbuktu prison in early March, members of the Tonka youth organisation, including its president, had fled the area over safety concerns; Baby was one of the president’s deputies.
The group is active in the Timbuktu region and was reportedly behind the killing of TikTok influencer Mariame Cissé in November 2025.
Like Baby, 22-year-old Cissé was perceived as a FAMA collaborator for posting images of herself in an army uniform and for her vocal support of the military; she was also from Tonka.
On March 9th, JNIM claimed responsibility for an attack on a FAMA and Russian Africa Corps convoy in the Segou region, not far from the Mauritanian border.
JNIM are behind the fuel blockade Mali has experienced since September 2025, where they exploited Mali’s landlocked status and reliance on fuel imports to bring the country to a standstill.
Militants imposed the blockade to destabilise the military junta government, which they envision will lead to the establishment of an Islamic State governed by Sharia Law.
To maintain stability, the junta has sought Russian mercenary support to fight jihadist insurgencies and separatist groups, which reportedly receive jihadist backing, and wage war against the government.
However, Russian auxiliaries and FAMA are implicated in human rights abuses, including murder and sexual violence perpetrated against Malian civilians.
It was reported on March 22nd that “more than 100 jihadists” were released from prison under a deal to halt attacks on fuel tanker convoys.
Under the same deal, members of the Fulani community were also released; the group experienced persecution throughout the Sahel over alleged Islamist ties and has been killed in recent violence near the Mauritanian border.
Amid growing tensions at the border, Mauritanian authorities have advised their citizens not to travel to Mali over safety concerns.
RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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