Truckers in the Sahel region: A journey fraught with danger
The disappearance of four Moroccan truck drivers between the towns of Dori in Burkina Faso and Téra in Niger, in a kidnapping blamed on terrorist groups, has lifted the veil on the risks incurred by road haulage professionals attempting to link Morocco to its African depths. (see L’Economiste No.6932 of January 21, 2025).
Two professional sources have confirmed to L’Economiste the release of the four truckers, stressing that their vehicles have not yet been found. At the time of going to press, no official announcement had been made concerning the release of the four drivers. Overall, Moroccan truckers regularly cross dangerous zones on their way to African markets. Moroccan exports to sub-Saharan countries continue to grow.,” Mauritania is the main destination for our trucks”, explains El Charki Hachmi, Secretary General of the Moroccan Union of Transport Professionals ( Union marocaine des professionnels du transport), himself a truck driver with a 27-year career. Other destinations include Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. Asian products also destined for sub-Saharan countries In 2023, Moroccan exports to Africa amounted to 32.61 billion dirhams (USD 3.26 billion), according to the annual foreign trade report issued by the Foreign Exchange Office, Office des Changes, ODC). This pales in comparison with exports to Europe, which totalled 308.72 billion dirhams (USD 30.87 billion). According to the ODC, Morocco’s main exports to Africa are natural and chemical fertilizers, prepared and preserved fish and shellfish, fresh, salted, dried and smoked fish, as well as wires, cables and other insulated conductors for electricity. The Secretary of State for Foreign Trade had announced, in response to an oral question in Parliament, on strengthening trade with African countries that exports to the continent reached around 32.7 billion dirhams (USD 3.27 billion) in 2023, recording 100% growth compared to 2013. Omar Hejira added that the Kingdom has additional export capacity of up to 120 billion dirhams (USD 12 billion), of which 10% (or 12 billion dirhams (USD 1.2 billion)) would be destined for the African continent. The Moroccan Union of Transport Professionals ( Union marocaine des professionnels du transport) adds that vegetables, notably potatoes and onions, citrus fruits, poultry feed, and fertilized eggs are also exported. Mustapha el Karkouri, General Secretary of the National Road Transport Union (Syndicat National du Transport Routier), told L’Economiste that truckers also transport products from Asia to sub-Saharan countries.
Between 50 and 80 trucks pass through Guerguerat every day
Moroccan truckers depart from several points in the country. “We leave from the towns of Dakhla, Boujdour and Lâayoune in the southern provinces, from Agadir, Casablanca, Berrechid, Meknes, Moulay Bousselham, and other places…”, explains El Charki Hachmi, adding that all truckers pass through the Guerguerat border zone, in the extreme south-west of the country. He adds that more than half of the Kingdom’s exports to the continent leave by truck. The journey varies according to destination, but on average lasts between 10 and 30 days. The cost of the journey also varies according to supply and demand. For the Agadir-Nouakchott route, the price varies between 28,000 and 38,000 dirhams (USD 3,800). The Secretary General of the Moroccan Union of Transport Professionals (Union marocaine des professionnels du transport) explains that an average of 1,450 Moroccan trucks circulate every year in this region. Depending on the season, between 50 and 80 trucks pass through the Guerguerat area every day,” he adds.
Dilapidated roads and armed groups
Truckers operating in Africa face a variety of risks, some of them life-threatening. While the Kingdom has succeeded in developing its road infrastructure, other countries on the continent still have a long way to go. After passing through the Guerguerat border zone, drivers are confronted with “impassable” roads and “dilapidated roads” which have a negative effect on bodywork. Truckers also face attacks from armed groups. With several photos to back it up, a driver recounts in a Facebook post in a group dedicated to professionals in the sector: “ On January 5, 2024, at around 9pm, in Gogui, on the border between Mauritania and Mali, we saw red fireworks going up into the sky, it was far away.
A little later, it hit right in the middle of the stations we were at. All the drivers fled, leaving their belongings and open trucks behind.” “It was an agonizing night that I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” he says. On April 01, 2023, two Moroccan cyclists had been kidnapped by “armed elements” on the border between Burkina Faso and Niger, with the Kingdom managing to secure their release a month later. The regional branches of the Islamic State and of al-Qaeda have recently expanded their activities in the Sahel, a region disrupted by military coups and socio-economic and se0curity problems.
In an attempt to combat insurgencies, some governments in the region have replaced security partnerships with Western countries with private groups, notably Russia’s Africa Corps, successor to the paramilitary group, Wagner. According to the United Nations, terrorism and organized crime perpetrated by militias constitute a “pervasive threat” in the Sahel.
Akram OUBACHIR
