Mali, Tonka (Timbuktu Region) — November 10, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
A young social-media creator known as Mariam Cissé has been abducted and publicly executed by armed assailants in Tonka, a village in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region, authorities confirmed on Monday. The influencer, who reportedly had more than 100,000 followers on the platform TikTok, was known for posting videos in support of the Malian military and wearing army fatigues in several clips, according to the mayor of Tonka.
According to local officials, Cissé was abducted from a weekly market on Friday and the following day was brought to Tonka’s Independence Square where she was executed before a crowd. The region is known to be under the influence of militants from the Jama’at Nusrat ul‑Islam wa al‑Muslimin (JNIM) insurgent group, though no organisation has claimed direct responsibility for the killing.
Her family and local sources say she had reportedly received death threats in the days leading up to her disappearance, allegedly because of her pro-army social-media posts. Cissé’s public support for government forces may have made her a target in a region where expressing alignment with the state is increasingly dangerous.
The murder has drawn widespread condemnation from community leaders and human-rights groups who say the killing underscores how vulnerable civilians have become in Mali’s north, where insurgent groups continue to assert control and challenge state authority. As investigations begin, authorities have not yet provided details on suspects or whether any arrests have been made.