The two Moroccan cyclists who disappeared on the border between Burkina Faso and Niger were found on Saturday 13 May. The two Moroccans were kidnapped by an armed group at the borders of the two countries.
Leaving Morocco on January 19, Abderrahmane Serhani, a 65-year-old retired teacher, and Driss Fatihi, a 37-year-old trader, experienced cyclists and regulars on crossings, had the objective of making the Hajj by joining Mecca by bike.
They crossed Mauritania, skirted the Atlantic coast to arrive in Burkina Faso then in Niger, before going up towards the Arabian peninsula. According to the Association of Tourist Cyclists of Souss-Massa, to which the two men belong, " they wanted to avoid Libya at all costs" but at the end of March, once they arrived in Burkina Faso, they gave no further news in their logbook kept on Facebook.
They were kidnapped on April 1 by an armed group near the Niger-Burkina Faso borders, and have just been released by their captors. Their release was possible thanks to the security coordination between Morocco and Niger which lasted nearly 4 weeks to determine the place where the kidnappers were holding them hostage.
They are safe and sound but are currently under medical supervision before their return to Morocco. The two Moroccans are currently in Niamey according to close sources.
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