TikTok Influencer Publicly Executed in Mali Amid escalating Jihadist Crisis
BAMAKO, MALI - A Malian TikTok influencer was publicly executed by jihadist group Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) as insecurity spirals in the West African nation, prompting urgent evacuation warnings from multiple countries. the execution underscores a rapidly deteriorating security situation following a military coup in 2020 adn the subsequent withdrawal of international forces.
Mali’s army has struggled to contain a decade-long insurgency despite promises of improved security, leading to internal divisions within it’s ranks. “The power grab only deepened its divisions, splitting the army between privileged loyalists of the regime and those sent to the frontlines,” said Rama Yade, senior director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council.”Coupled with the departure of international forces from Mali,this fragmentation led to abandoned positions,weapons falling into the hands of separatists,and jihadists expanding their hold over the rural north.”
JNIM has tightened its control over key supply routes from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania and Senegal, imposing a fuel blockade since September that has crippled transport and left hospitals struggling.The Malian government has indefinitely shut down schools in response. In Bamako, the capital, and other cities, residents face miles-long queues for increasingly costly fuel and food.
France, the US, Germany and Italy have all issued urgent warnings to their citizens to leave Mali on commercial flights, citing unsafe road conditions around the capital. Analysts predict the fall of the current junta could occur within weeks or months.
The African Union on Sunday expressed ”deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Mali,” calling for urgent international coordination and intelligence-sharing to help restore stability.
The worsening insecurity has also led to a surge in kidnappings. Five Indian workers were abducted near Kobri in western Mali last Thursday, and JNIM claimed obligation Sunday for the abduction of three Egyptian nationals, demanding a $5 million ransom for their release.
Reports indicate the violence includes atrocities committed with the involvement of Russian mercenaries, including those from the wagner group. A recent UN report found evidence linking wagner mercenaries to a slaughter in a Malian village.
