Armed captors released four Moroccan truck drivers in Niger on Tuesday after they had been abducted by an armed group over the weekend on their delivery route that runs through Burkina Faso, AP reported.
The drivers’ convoy was highjacked while hauling electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, Niger’s capital. They had already spent over 20 days on the 3,000-mile journey before their disappearance was reported on Saturday.
The Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso informed the drivers’ union late Monday that the drivers would be released. “They will be brought back soon,” said Echarki El Hachmi, secretary-general of Morocco’s Transportation Union. Although the drivers have now been released, however, the trucks and cargo remain missing.
The group went missing on the border between northeastern Burkina Faso and western Niger, bypassing a military escort. El Hachmi said that the captors transported them to a remote forest.
Officials have not confirmed the identity of the armed group behind the kidnapping or provided details about any possible ransom.