Two Moroccan cyclists missing for several weeks found safe and sound in Niamey, Niger

The two Moroccan cyclists missing for several weeks at the border between Burkina Faso and Niger have been found safe and sound, the Moroccan embassy in Niamey said Sunday.

The two cyclists are currently in Niger’s capital, Niamey, where they are undergoing a medical examination, said the same source, ensuring that the elements of the Embassy of the Kingdom are currently with them.

The two cyclists, Abderrahmane Serhani and Driss Fatihi, were missing since their entry into Burkina Faso from the Ivory Coast and had indicated that they had taken the direction of the border to Niger.

One of the two cyclists had posted a video on his Facebook page on March 29, in which he claimed to be heading for Burkina Faso, whose northeastern parts have been caught up in a spiral of violence since 2015 attributed to armed terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The Association of Tourist Cyclists of Souss-Massa had then launched an appeal on social networks regarding the two cyclists reported missing.

Abderrahmane Serhani, a 65-year-old retired professor of Islamic education, and Driss Fatihi, a 37-year-old shopkeeper had left Morocco on January 19.

They crossed the El Guerguerate passage in the south of the Kingdom with their two bicycles to Mauritania, and from there to other African countries.

The two Moroccan citizens, kidnapped on April 1st by armed elements at the Niger-Burkina Faso borders, have been released thanks to the cooperation between the Moroccan security services and their Nigerien counterparts, a well-informed source said Sunday.

The cooperation between the Moroccan and Nigerien security services, which lasted 4 weeks, allowed the location of the two Moroccans and their release Saturday safe and sound, said the same source.

The two Moroccan nationals (A.S.) and (D.F) are currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure their health status, prior to their repatriation to the Kingdom, the same source said.