Viral TikToker publicly executed amid insurgency: Watch the video that got her killed, ‘We must stand together’

Mariam Cisse, a well-known young TikToker from Tonka in the northern Timbuktu region, was killed in Mali. She was in her early 20s and had nearly a lakh followers. Mariam was admired for her lively videos that mixed humour, daily life, social issues and open support for the Malian army. Her followers on TikTok are increasing every hour since her death.

According to witnesses, Mariam was captured on November 6 while live-streaming at a local market. The suspects are armed rebels who accused her of informing the army about their movements.

Mariam was taken outside the town and then brought back the next day to Tonka’s Independence Square. There, in front of a helpless crowd that included her brother, she was shot dead execution-style. The assassination has caused deep anger across the country.

Mariam’s killing has raised serious questions about security failures since the attack happened in a public place. According to Malian state media, Mariam only wanted to highlight her community and express pride in her country through her posts.

Videos on her page often show her wearing a military uniform, and one caption reads “Long Live Mali”. The nation has battled an insurgency since 2012. It is currently struggling with a fuel blockade imposed by rebel groups, which has severely affected daily life.

The day she was kidnapped, Mariam Cisse shared five TikTok videos. In her last video, she is dancing to a song.

Since her demise, many social media users commented on TikTok.

“But why did they kill her?” one user asked.

“So, it was after this that they killed her,” commented another.

“What is certain is that they are active on social media,” one user wrote while referring to the rebels.

Another user posted, “Be very careful in life. She posted that video not even three days ago and today she is no more. May God grant us a good end. Ameen.”

“Please, if TikTok can see our messages, make sure her account is completely removed. May her soul rest in peace,” commented another.

The video that got her killed

In another video posted on the day of her abduction, she revealed her location.

“But, why was she sharing her location when she moved around?” wondered one TikTok user.

One user claimed that Mariam had filmed the rebels while making this video. And, that led to her killing.

“It is because of this video that she was killed. She had filmed them in the market,” the user remarked.

“I am here, I am calling you all, I am speaking to you all. I want to say something, a very important thing. We must stand together, we must stay strong, we must believe in our future. If we unite, we can overcome anything,” Mariam says in the video.

The video that allegedly got her killed was shared on Twitter (now X) by RT. Watch here: