At least six Senegalese truckers were kidnapped in western Mali Thursday, the victims’ union and Senegalese authorities confirmed Friday. The drivers and apprentices were transporting trade goods when an al Qaeda-linked group, JNIM, seized them amid ongoing regional violence.
Mali has suffered a security crisis since 2012, with insurgents and criminal gangs controlling vast areas of the country. Military coups in 2020 and 2021 left the country under a junta, which continues to struggle against groups like JNIM.
Business owners reported that JNIM declared a blockade in western Mali, halting road traffic from Senegal into the landlocked nation. A Mali transport ministry source said authorities would intervene to ensure roads remain open despite the blockade’s threat to trade.
The Union of Road Haulage Operators of Senegal confirmed all six kidnapped individuals were involved in road transport operations. Senegalese government spokesman Moustapha Njekk Sarre verified the abductions to AFP but declined to provide further details.
URS official Gora Khouma said the victims included two drivers and four apprentices taken near Kayes in western Mali. Senegal has not experienced insurgent attacks, though JNIM struck Malian military positions near the border on July 1, causing alarm.
One attacked locality, Diboli, lies fewer than 500 metres from Senegal’s town of Kidira, highlighting the growing threat close to home. Authorities in both countries face mounting pressure to secure roads and protect traders amid an insurgent campaign in the region.