Families Plead for Help as Moroccan Truck Drivers Vanish in West Africa

The families of the Moroccan truck drivers who have been missing since Saturday, January 18, on a road between northeastern Burkina Faso and western Niger are living in anguished waiting, where the lack of any news accentuates their psychological distress. They implore the authorities to break the wall of silence and reveal the truth about this worrying disappearance. Have they been kidnapped by armed groups such as Boko Haram operating in the Sahel and desert region? Fears persist about this eventuality, since the trace of these men was lost between Dori, in Burkina Faso, and Téra, in Niger, sensitive areas plagued by attacks by jihadist groups for several years. The convoy "took a route that crosses a very high-risk area, where terrorist cells and armed groups known for their regular acts of looting targeting road transporters" are active, a diplomatic source had assured.

The drivers were transporting Moroccan goods to sub-Saharan African countries before suddenly disappearing, said the president of the African Union of Transport and Logistics Organizations. He reported that the incident occurred after the drivers left the secure truck parking area, following the advice of one of them, who claimed to know the road well. But their departure in the early hours of the morning prevented any possibility of following them via the GPS system, further complicating the search, he added.

Since the disappearance of the Moroccan truck drivers, transport agencies and professional unions are calling for urgent strengthening of security measures for Moroccan drivers carrying out international transport across Africa. They also demand increased cooperation between Moroccan authorities and their African counterparts to ensure the safety of drivers and secure trade routes.