Six Senegalese road workers kidnapped on Thursday in Mali by jihadist groups have regained their freedom, the Union des Routiers du Sénégal (URS) announced on Saturday. The organisation expressed its gratitude to the Senegalese authorities for their follow-up of the dossier, while appealing to drivers to be more vigilant during cross-border journeys. Among the hostages were two chauffeurs and four apprentices engaged in transport between Senegal and Mali, a vital sector for the sub-regional commercial exchanges. A Senegalese transport company has confirmed that “four of its employees (two chauffeurs and two apprentices) ” have returned safely. Some hours before the announcement of the URS, the Senegalese Ministry of African Integration had indicated that it did not have elements confirming the kidnapping. The URS had described the incident as a “serious attack” on workers’ security and free movement, stressing the risks to families and regional commerce. This liberation took place in a climate of persistent insecurity on the Bamako-Kayes corridor, a strategic axis for the supply of fuel, cement, foodstuffs and other manufactured products, recently targeted by the jihadist group JNIM which announced a blockade on Kayes et Nioro du Sahel.
Mali: The six Senegalese routers released according to the URS
