Armed men in Mali have killed a popular TikTok influencer known for her videos supporting the country’s military, local authorities confirmed on Monday.

The victim, Mariame Cissé, was reportedly abducted on Friday while attending a weekly market in Echel and executed the following day in public at Independence Square in Tonka, a town in the Timbuktu region.

“The young TikTok user Mariame Cissé was abducted by armed men on Friday while she was at the weekly market in Echel. The following day, at dusk, the same men brought her back to Independence Square in Tonka and executed her in front of a crowd,” said Yehia Tandina, the mayor of Timbuktu, in a statement to the Associated Press.

The mayor of Tonka, Mamadou Konipo, confirmed the killing but said he had no additional details.

Tonka, located along the Niger River about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Timbuktu, is an area where Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM)—an al-Qaida-linked militant group—has a known presence. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.

Cissé, who was not affiliated with the military, had gained more than 140,000 followers on TikTok, often posting videos in support of Mali’s armed forces and occasionally appearing in military fatigues. Authorities believe her online activity may have made her a target.

According to Mayor Tandina, Cissé had received death threats several days before she was abducted.

Mali has faced worsening insecurity since the outbreak of violence in 2012, when armed insurgencies began in the north. The situation deteriorated further after a military coup in 2020 and another in 2021, both justified by promises to restore order. However, attacks by extremist groups, especially JNIM, have persisted and spread across much of the country.

The landlocked West African nation is currently experiencing a fuel blockade imposed by JNIM, further straining living conditions and the government’s efforts to maintain control over rural areas.