Search for missing Moroccan truckers in Burkina Faso intensifies as details emerge

The Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso has intervened following the disappearance of three Moroccan trucks and their four drivers on Saturday, confirming that the Burkinabe authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter.

Diplomatic sources from the embassy told Hespress AR that the drivers were traveling along a route passing through a region notorious for its dangers, where terrorist cells and armed groups are active, engaging in looting and highway ambushes targeting transport vehicles, particularly trucks.

The sources said that traveling this route without security escort was a risky and reckless decision.

The same sources explained that international truck drivers usually consult local security authorities to assess the safety situation before setting off, especially along the mentioned route, which passes through the city of Sétenga.

This area was the site of a bloody attack on January 11, in which 18 soldiers and several civilians were killed in an ambush by criminal groups.

Despite the well-known security risks, the missing Moroccan drivers, unfortunately, proceeded on the same route just days after the deadly incident.

Upon learning of the situation, the Moroccan Embassy in Ouagadougou immediately contacted the Burkina Faso authorities, who have launched operations to locate the four missing drivers.

Since the escalating threat of the “Islamic State in the Greater Sahara”, which operates between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the transportation of goods across Burkina Faso’s borders, particularly between Dori and Tera, has been organized in convoys under the protection of the Burkinabe military to ensure safety.

Security conditions in the region have worsened in recent months. In June, thousands of people fled northeastern Burkina Faso due to increased terrorist attacks, highlighting the instability and lack of security in the area.

In early December 2024, 21 civilians were killed in an attack on a goods convoy in Tera, located on a frequently traveled truck route, which has since become a hotspot for terrorist assaults in Niger.

On February 25, 2024, 15 civilians were killed in an attack during Sunday Mass in the village of Issakani in the Dori province, northeast of Burkina Faso. In 2022, over 26,000 people were displaced from Sétenga to Dori following an attack that killed 86 people on the night of June 11-12 of that year.