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TikTok star Mariam Cisse, 22, executed by 'jihadists' on livestream as horrified family watch

Mariam Cisse, who had hundreds of thousands of followers online, has been kidnapped by suspected jihadists and executed during a livestream in Mali

A young TikTok star has has been brutally executed by suspected jihadists during a livestream as her family watched.

Mariam Cisse, a 22-year-old who had amassed over 100,000 followers online, , is said to have been abducted from a small town in the Timbuktu region of Mali last week. It is claimed she was snatched at a local fair in Tonka. Her kidnappers claimed she was collaborating with the Malian army by sharing their movements online.

The forces has been battling jihadist groups since 2012. The country is currently going through a concerning fuel blockade imposed on the capital of Bamako by the jihadist group that has disrupted daily life. A days after her kidnapping, she was taken by motorbike and to Independence Square.

In front of hundreds of people, including her family, she was barbarically shot dead. Her public execution has shocked the nation as the unrest intensifies. State TV said she had "simply wanted to promote her community and support the army" through her social media posts.

Her cruel death comes as living conditions in Mali worsen due to the ongoing blockade. Schools, universities, and other learning institutions were shut down last month due to the blockade. The government said it would do “everything possible to address the crisis” in order to reopen them on Monday.

Among the devastated spectators was her brother, who confirmed to the AFP news agency that she had been accused of working alongside the Malian army. “My sister was arrested on Thursday by the jihadists,” her brother said, saying they had accused her of “informing the Malian army of their movements.”

She just aimed to 'support her community and the army' on TikTok (@marimacisse57/TIKTOK)

Another source told AFP that “Mariam Cisse has been assassinated in a public square in Tonky by jihadists who accused her of having filmed them for the Malian army.”

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution, called it a “barbaric” act. According to the Free Press Journal, Ciase often wore army-style clothes in her videos to show solidarity with the Malian troops fighting the extremist groups. One of her posts was also captioned “Vive Mali (Long Live Mali)".

Most of the woman's online content showed an ordinary life, with her videos showcasing her daily routine in her hometown with many clips showing her love of dancing. According to the Times of India, “her warm personality and honest videos made her well-loved in her community.”