Mali woman who praised army on TikTok abducted and executed

Mariam Cisse, who had nearly 100,000 followers on the video-sharing site, was taken in the northern town of Tonka on Thursday and later shot dead by her captors, state TV network ORTM said.

The area is contested between Mali's army and an al Qaeda-allied insurgent group known as Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

"This young woman simply wanted to promote her community through her TikTok posts and encourage the Malian army in its missions to protect people and their property," the state TV report said, without naming the abductors.

Mali's military government is under growing pressure from JNIM and other armed groups.

A two-month-old fuel blockade by al Qaeda-linked militants has all but paralysed the capital, raising concern that the jihadists might try eventually to impose their rule.