Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The Union of Senegalese Truckers (URS) has confirmed the kidnapping of six of its members in Mali, in an attack that highlights the deepening security crisis threatening trade between the two neighboring countries.
According to the URS, two drivers and four apprentices were abducted on the Bamako–Kayes corridor, a major route for cross-border trade. The victims were engaged in daily transport operations that sustain the Senegal-Mali economic partnership, one of the most critical in West Africa.
Figures from the Dakar-based press agency APA underscore the gravity of the attack: in 2024, Mali absorbed over 802 billion CFA francs worth of Senegalese exports, representing more than half of Senegal’s total sales to the continent and about 21% of its overall exports.
Goods transported along the corridor include petroleum products, cement, foodstuffs, and manufactured items.
“This kidnapping constitutes a grave attack on the safety of workers and their families but also a threat to free movement and regional trade,” the URS said in a statement. The union stressed that truckers are “on the front line of African integration and should never be targeted in these conflicts.”
The abduction comes amid heightened insecurity in western Mali. On September 4, jihadist group JNIM declared a blockade on Kayes and Nioro du Sahel, shutting down major transport routes and explicitly targeting transport companies.
The URS had already urged its members in July to temporarily suspend journeys into Mali due to the rising number of attacks, but such precautions have proven insufficient.
Analysts warn that the economic consequences could be severe if the assaults on truckers persist.
With Mali serving as Senegal’s top African trade partner, any prolonged disruption risks undermining regional stability. “The kidnappings expose how an armed group’s stranglehold on transport corridors can destabilize entire economies,” a regional trade expert noted.
The situation underlines the vulnerability of Sahelian economies, whose interdependence makes them particularly exposed to security crises.
For Senegal, the kidnapping of its transport workers is not only a human tragedy but also a stark reminder that the economic lifeline linking Dakar and Bamako is under direct threat.
Meanwhile, Senegal’s Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs has issued a cautious response, noting that “at this stage, no verifiable element makes it possible to confirm the reported kidnapping, nor to establish with certainty the identity of the supposedly concerned individuals.”
The ministry added that, through the Senegalese Embassy in Bamako, it remains in close contact with Malian authorities. It assured that any significant development in the case will be communicated officially.
