Rabat – Cooperation between Moroccan security services and their Nigerien Counterparts contributed to the release of the two Moroccan cyclists, who were kidnapped on April 1st by armed elements at the Niger-Burkina Faso borders.
The cooperation allowed the detection of the two Moroccans’ location and their release.
The two citizens are “safe and sound,” state media quoted a source as saying.
The two Moroccan citizens are undergoing medical examinations to ensure their health status, prior to their repatriation to Morocco.
The case of the two cyclists raised concerns among Moroccans worldwide, with many urging the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to intervene.
In April, the Touring Bike Association Souss Massa said in a statement: “We ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates to send a research note to Burkina Faso.”
In addition, many Moroccan internet users joined the solidarity campaign, using hashtags and sharing social media posts to bring awareness to the cyclists’ case.
In response, the Moroccan Embassy in Ouagadougou stressed that it was mobilizing all of its resources and working in coordination with relevant authorities to solve the case of two Moroccan cyclists.
