Moroccan truck drivers missing at Burkina Faso-Niger border found “safe & sound” thanks to Moroccan diplomacy & local authorities

The four Moroccan truck drivers, who went missing last Saturday at the Burkina Faso-Niger border, have been found Monday “safe and sound” and they are on their way to the Moroccan embassy in Niger, according to Hespress online news website.

Thanks to the combined efforts made by Moroccan diplomacy and External Security Agency in coordination with Moroccan transporters Union and local authorities, two other drivers, one from Burkina Faso and the other from Togo, were also rescued during the widespread combing & search operation.

The Moroccan drivers were aboard three trucks. They disappeared as they drove without an escort from Dori in Burkina Faso to Tera in Niger, an area known for jihadi threats. Their trucks were loaded with infrastructure equipment and departed weeks ago from Casablanca heading to Niger.

Burkina Faso authorities have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks. On January 11, eighteen Burkinabe soldiers and civilians were killed between Dori and Seytenga.

Morocco’s foreign ministry has set up a crisis response team that has been working around the clock with Moroccan embassies in Burkina-Faso & Niger and authorities of these African countries to locate and repatriate the drivers.