A TikTok Star's Tragic End in Mali's Conflict

In a small village along the Niger River, about 90 miles from Timbuktu, a young woman's life was brutally cut short.

Mariame Cissé: A Voice Silenced

• Who was she?
• A TikTok influencer with over 140,000 followers.

• Known for her support of Mali's army, often posting in military fatigues.

• What happened?
• Abducted from a weekly market.
• Executed the next day in Independence Square, Tonka, in front of a crowd.
• The mayor of Timbuktu, Yehia Tandina, confirmed the details to the Associated Press.

A Country in Crisis

• Jihadist Threat
• A powerful al Qaeda-linked group is advancing toward Bamako, Mali's capital.
• The military junta and their Russian allies struggle to contain the violence.

• JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin), an al-Qaida affiliate, controls vast rural areas.

• A History of Conflict
• Mali has been fighting armed groups since 2012.
• 2020 coup: Military seized power, promising security.
• 2021 coup: Another military officer took control, worsening the crisis.
• Current situation:
• JNIM imposes a fuel blockade.
• Western nations (UK, US, Germany, France) urge citizens to leave Bamako.

Unanswered Questions

• No group has claimed responsibility for Cissé's killing.
• Mayor of Tonka, Mamadou Konipo, confirmed her death but lacked details.
• Death threats were made before her abduction, per Timbuktu's mayor.