CASABLANCA, Morocco – Four Moroccan truck drivers, who were abducted in West Africa over the weekend, have been safely released in Niger.
The drivers’ abduction highlights the growing insecurity in the Sahel region, which lies south of the Sahara Desert. This area has become increasingly troubled, with militant factions like the Islamic State Sahel Province taking advantage of local tensions to gain influence and recruit new members.
The four individuals were transporting electrical supplies from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital city of Niger. They had been on the lengthy journey, covering approximately 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers), for over three weeks when they were reported missing on Saturday, as confirmed by the secretary-general of Morocco’s Transport Union.
On Monday, the Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso relayed the news to the Transport Union that the kidnapped drivers had regained their freedom and were unharmed in Niamey. “They will be brought back soon,” stated Echarki El Hachmi, the union’s secretary-general, although he added that the whereabouts of their trucks and cargo remain unknown.
The drivers had decided against traveling with a military escort through the route that spans northeastern Burkina Faso to western Niger. They disappeared while navigating the area between the town of Dori in Burkina Faso and Tera in Niger. Truck drivers are generally advised not to undertake this journey without armed protection, as indicated by El Hachmi, who noted that the drivers had been taken by an unidentified group to a secluded forest region.
Moroccan officials did not provide any information regarding their efforts to secure the drivers’ release or if their policy involved ransom payments.
Morocco has been keen on strengthening its political and economic relations with Sahel countries, aiming to boost exports to places like Niger. However, the region has been plagued by escalating violence, as both al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates intensify their operations across the Sahel, a region that has seen numerous military coups and authoritarian regimes in the recent past.
To counter these insurgencies, local governments have shifted from traditional security collaborations with Western nations to engaging mercenary forces, including Russia’s Africa Corps, which has emerged from the former paramilitary entity known as Wagner.
The United Nations has reported that militant violence, including terrorism and organized crime, represents a significant threat in the Sahel region. Thousands of casualties have been recorded in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, while millions have been displaced due to the unrest. In 2024 alone, 439 individuals were reported to have been kidnapped or forcibly disappeared across these three countries, with 150 of those abductions attributed to the Islamic State Sahel and a group linked to al-Qaida known as JNIM, according to data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a non-profit organization that monitors violent incidents.
