Mali: Four Kidnapped Drivers Released from Islamists

Four Moroccan truck drivers, who were kidnapped in January 2025, were released on Sunday, August 3, 2025, according to a statement by the government of Mali.

The drivers had been abducted northeast of Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger. According to the Malian government, they were held by an Islamic terrorist group affiliated with ISIS in the Sahel province.

Their release was made possible through coordination between the National Agency for State Security of Mali and the General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED) of Morocco.

A similar incident occurred in 2023 when Moroccan cyclists were kidnapped on the Niger-Burkina Faso border and released after a month, with the assistance of Moroccan security services.