Moroccan international freight operators are reporting renewed difficulties at the Rosso border crossing between Mauritania and Senegal, including alleged preferential treatment for local trucks, despite an earlier intervention by Morocco’s embassy in Nouakchott.
The General Union of International and National Transport Professionals said the problems had resurfaced after previously subsiding following the Moroccan embassy’s intervention.
According to professional sources cited by the union, Mauritanian and Senegalese customs authorities have been giving priority to local trucks over Moroccan vehicles, even when Moroccan trucks arrive at the crossing earlier.
The union said the situation is adding to difficulties already facing Moroccan truckers following the closure of the route through Mali because of insecurity.
Cherki El Hashemi, the union’s national secretary-general, said transport professionals reject the recurrence of the problems and want traffic through the Rosso crossing to continue normally.
He said the main difficulties involve movement across the Mauritania-Senegal border, the continued closure of the Mali route and what he described as particular targeting of Moroccan truckers.
As a result, Moroccan drivers have been forced to use the Bonsoula route from Senegal, which El Hashemi described as highly dangerous and where several traffic accidents involving Moroccan drivers have reportedly occurred.
He also said the route through Mali is effectively closed to Moroccan trucks, preventing them from crossing, while Moroccan operators face what he described as preferential treatment of Senegalese and Mauritanian trucks at Rosso.
The situation has at times led transport professionals to protest before their trucks are allowed to proceed, El Hashemi said, calling for an end to what he described as discriminatory practices and urging authorities to respect drivers’ place in the queue.
On security along the Mali route, El Hashemi said the situation no longer resembles conventional warfare but instead involves armed groups carrying out direct attacks before fleeing the area.
He said such attacks have particularly targeted trucks with foreign license plates, prompting Moroccan operators to avoid the route linking Mauritania and Mali to reduce the risk of casualties.
The diversion has also increased costs for transport operators, El Hashemi said, as alternative routes add to the financial burden of cross-border freight operations.
He also pointed to difficulties obtaining Mauritanian visas as an additional obstacle. According to El Hashemi, visas that were previously issued within about 24 hours can now take between four days and a week.
He said the longer processing time further delays drivers and compounds the logistical and security challenges facing Moroccan transport professionals operating across West Africa.
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