Missing for 4 days, the four Moroccan truckers found “safe and sound”, according to a transport union

Citing professional sources on site, Mustapha Chaoune, secretary general of the Democratic Organization of Transport and Logistics (ODTL), said in a statement for Le360 that the four Moroccan truckers “were spotted and taken to the capital of Niger».

Contacted by Le360the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its part said it was unable to “For now» to confirm the release of the four truckers who had ventured, on Saturday January 18, 2025, onto a dangerous road where armed groups engage in banditry and terrorism activities. “We are currently verifying the information to see if the trucks have been found», Continues this source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Taken without escort, the road where the four Moroccans disappeared, undermined by banditry between Dore (Burkina Faso) and Tera (Niger), constitutes a serious danger for truckers. In Rabat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already reported the dangerous nature of this road and criticized the four Moroccan truckers for having made this journey “without escort» of one of the armies of the two countries. After having created a crisis unit in Rabat, Moroccan diplomacy is following the development of this affair closely.

Informed sources contacted by Le360 indicate that the track of the truckers was lost between Dori and Téra, in an area including the town of Seytenga. This region was the scene of a deadly ambush on January 11, 2025 which cost the lives of 18 soldiers and several civilians. “This recent attack should have encouraged these carriers to exercise caution to avoid any risk of ambush, kidnapping or attack, in particular by providing an escort», underline the sources.

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Since the resurgence of terrorist threats in this region, mainly due to the organization of the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS), truck convoys have been circulating regularly, but “under good escort» of the Burkinabe army to secure the borders between Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. This border area, located in the northeast of Burkina Faso, is particularly exposed to jihadist threats, further weakening the security situation.

Despite the constant efforts of local authorities to strengthen security in these regions and neutralize threats, the situation remains fragile, characterized by persistent instability and recurrent violence. Faced with this context, they firmly reaffirm the imperative obligation for transport operators to rigorously comply with the safety protocols in force.