Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.Read more

Armed men in Mali killed a TikTok influencer who had posted videos in support of the West African nation’s military, authorities said Monday.

“The young TikTok user Mariame Cissé was abducted by armed men on Friday while she was at the weekly market in Echel,” Yehia Tandina, the mayor of Timbuktu, told The Associated Press.

“The following day, at dusk, the same men brought her back to Independence Square in Tonka and executed her in front of a crowd,” they added.

The mayor of Tonka in the Timbuktu region, Mamadou Konipo, confirmed the killing but said he didn’t have more information.

open image in gallery

Mali, the town of Bamako pictured, has been battling armed groups since 2012 with the military seizing power in 2020 (AP)

Tonka is a village along the Niger River, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Timbuktu. Members of the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, are known to operate there.

No group has taken responsibility for the killing.

Cissé, who was not a member of the military, sometimes posted images of herself in military fatigues to her more than 140,00 followers, which is thought to have drawn attention from the armed men.

Cissé received death threats several days before she was abducted, according to the Timbuktu mayor.

Mali has been battling armed groups since 2012, a fight that has escalated over the past decade.

The military seized power in 2020 on the pretext of curtailing the insecurity.

Another military officer seized power in a coup the following year. Insecurity has worsened since then, according to monitoring groups.

Armed groups, primarily JNIM, operate in large swathes of rural regions. The landlocked nation is currently under a fuel blockade by JNIM.