Milian popular TikToker Mariam Cissé has been killed by suspected jihadists.

The cause of her death is linked to accusations that she was leveraging her content to help Mali's army.

Mariam Cissé believed to be in her 20s, and who has accrued 100,000 TikTok follower was known for sharing videos about life in her Tonka hometown in the northern Timbuktu region and often expressed support for the army.

The killing of Mariam Cissé has stunned Mali, a country long plagued by a jihadist insurgency since 2012. State television said the young TikToker had only sought to showcase her hometown and support the national army through her social media posts.

Mali is currently under strain from a fuel blockade enforced by jihadist groups around the capital, Bamako — a move that has crippled daily life and prompted the African Union to express “deep concern.”

French public radio RFI reported that Cissé was captured by suspected jihadists while live-streaming from a market in a neighbouring town. Her brother told AFP that the militants accused her of providing information to the Malian army about their movements.

Over the weekend, she was taken by motorbike to her hometown, Tonka, and executed in the town’s Independence Square, with her brother among those watching in the crowd, AFP reported.

A security source told the agency that she was killed because she was suspected of filming jihadists “for the Malian army.”

In some of her TikTok videos, Cissé appeared in military attire, with one post captioned “Vive Mali” (Long Live Mali).

Her death comes as the effects of the ongoing blockade continue to deepen, leaving schools and universities closed for weeks. The government, which suspended learning institutions last month, said it was working to resolve the crisis so classes could resume on Monday.

However, the situation remains dire. On Friday, the French foreign ministry urged its citizens to leave Mali immediately while commercial flights were still operating.

On Sunday, AU Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he was concerned about the "rapid deterioration of the security situation where terrorist groups have imposed blockades, disrupted access to essential supplies, and severely worsened humanitarian conditions for civilian populations".

He condemned the "deliberate attacks against innocent civilians" that had caused "unacceptable loss of lives and heightened instability".

He added that the AU was ready "to support Mali, as well as all Sahel countries, during this particularly challenging period".

Fuel shortages have gripped Mali in recent weeks, particularly in the capital, Bamako, after militants linked to al-Qaeda enforced a blockade by targeting fuel tankers on key highways.

As a landlocked country, Mali depends entirely on road transport for fuel imports from neighbouring nations such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Despite the military’s takeover in 2021 with pledges to restore stability, jihadist violence has persisted, leaving much of the north and east under militant control.

Months ago, Mali’s ruling military government announced the indefinite suspension of all political activities, including those of parties and civic organisations, citing “reasons of public order.”

The decision, formalised in a decree signed on Wednesday by transitional president General Assimi Goita, comes amid growing unrest and criticism of the junta’s extended hold on power.

The announcement follows a rare pro-democracy protest held in the capital, Bamako, last weekend, during which hundreds of demonstrators defied warnings from the authorities to express opposition to a proposed bill that seeks to dissolve all political parties.

“I’m not surprised, I expected this because this is their way of preventing us from carrying out our activities, but we will continue to defend democracy in Mali,” said protest leader Cheick Oumar Doumbia.

A broader movement, consisting of political parties, civil society leaders, and labour organisations, has been calling for “a rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organisation of transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections.”

The junta had originally pledged to hold elections in February 2022. However, the timeline has shifted multiple times, raising concerns about the transitional government’s intentions.

This is not the first instance of political suppression ahead of key decisions. In April 2024, the government similarly halted political activity in advance of an “inter-Malian dialogue,” which eventually recommended extending the transition period from two to five years.

Meanwhile, Mali, along with Burkina Faso and Niger, formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023 after collectively withdrawing from ECOWAS. The move has been interpreted by analysts as an effort to legitimise the military regimes in the face of sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

All three countries have also distanced themselves from France, their former colonial power, choosing instead to strengthen ties with Russia.

Security threats continue to mount in Mali, as armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State escalate attacks — a crisis that has plagued the country for over a decade.