Four Moroccan truck drivers were kidnapped over the weekend in West Africa and released in Niger. They were transporting electrical equipment on a dangerous route affected by militant activity in the Sahel.

Four Moroccan truck drivers who were kidnapped in West Africa over the weekend were released in Niger. The drivers were the latest victims of insecurity in the Sahel, an arid swath of land south of the Sahara where militant groups such as the Islamic State Sahel Province have exploited local grievances to expand their ranks and presence.

Four Moroccan truck drivers went missing on Saturday as they crossed the restive border area between Burkina Faso and Niger, according to a source from the Moroccan embassy in Burkina Faso and a Moroccan transport union.