Disappearance of Four Moroccan Freight Transporters on the Border Between Niger and Burkina Faso
Four Moroccan nationals working in the freight transport sector towards sub-Saharan African countries lost contact while on trucks preparing to cross the border between Burkina Faso and Niger, two countries located in the Sahel region that have been facing rising security challenges for several years.
The Dangerous Route
According to Moroccan press reports citing diplomatic and local sources, the four freight transporters consisted of three truck drivers, one accompanied by an assistant. The three trucks left the city of Dori, in northeastern Burkina Faso, heading towards Tera in western Niger.
However, the area the trucks had to pass through is active with armed groups, some affiliated with ISIS and others with Al-Qaeda, with the armies of both countries engaged in fierce battles to regain full control of the region.
A week ago, an armed terrorist group set an ambush for a unit of the Burkina Faso army near Dori, killing 18 soldiers and injuring 11 civilians, who were truck drivers delivering food supplies to one of the besieged cities in the area.
To secure the transporters crossing the region, whether to supply cities and villages with essential goods or for trade with Niger, the army organizes military convoys to escort these shipments to protect them from any attack. However, terrorist groups often target these convoys.
Without Escort
Regarding the Moroccan trucks, Reuters quoted Eastern Hashimi, National Secretary of the General Transport Union of Morocco, saying: “The trucks set off after waiting for a week without receiving an escort for protection.”
Hashimi added that “the trucks were carrying infrastructure equipment” and that they had left Casablanca weeks ago heading for Niger, meaning they passed through Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso before the incident occurred.
He also mentioned that a Moroccan truck convoy had been attacked earlier in January at the Mali-Mauritania border, though no injuries occurred. He called for “more protection in high-risk areas, as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel region continues to rise.”
Crisis Cell
Although no official statement has been issued regarding the incident from Morocco, Burkina Faso, or Niger, Moroccan newspapers reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation had set up a “crisis cell” to monitor the situation.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the facts of the case, while a Moroccan diplomatic source stated that the Moroccan embassy in Ouagadougou is cooperating with the authorities in Burkina Faso to find the drivers.
According to France International Radio, a military source reported that the Moroccan freight transporters waited for a week to receive military escort to the border, but they eventually decided to go alone, citing “urgency.”
The source also stated that the four transporters “were kidnapped by an armed or terrorist group,” though this information has not been confirmed yet, with ongoing communications between the three countries—Morocco, Niger, and Burkina Faso—to investigate the incident.
Morocco enjoys close relations with Sahel countries, and these relations have not been affected by recent military coups. King Mohammed VI of Morocco successfully mediated the release of French diplomats detained by Burkina Faso authorities for a year, accusing them of espionage.
