Four Moroccan truck drivers kidnapped by Islamic State-linked militants in January have been released, the Malian government announced late Monday, citing close intelligence cooperation with Rabat.
The men, who went missing along with their trucks while traveling unescorted from Dori, Burkina Faso to Tera, Niger—a route notorious for jihadist activity—were freed on Sunday, according to state broadcaster ORTM. Their release was confirmed through televised footage showing them meeting with Mali’s junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goita.
The case underscores both the regional security crisis in the Sahel and the shifting alliances among West African states. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—all ruled by military juntas—have faced a relentless insurgency from Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates for over a decade. In response, they have severed defense ties with France and the West, pivoting instead toward Russia and forming the “Alliance of Sahel States.”
Despite that shift, Morocco has increased its diplomatic and security engagement with the trio. In April, the foreign ministers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso backed a Moroccan initiative to provide access to Atlantic trade corridors via its ports. Rabat also played a mediating role in the December release of four French nationals held in Burkina Faso for a year.
Malian state media praised the “fruitful cooperation” between Moroccan and Malian intelligence services, which they credited for the safe return of the drivers. Their release marks another example of growing Moroccan influence in the Sahel and highlights Rabat’s quiet but effective diplomacy in the region.