France has “became aware” of the arrest of a Frenchman on Wednesday in Niger, and is doing everything possible to obtain his release, we learned this Monday, November 18 from a diplomatic source.
“We are aware of the arrest on November 13 of Mr. Marius Bercea in Niger, where he was carrying out a mission with other employees of his company,” said this source, without specifying the reason for the arrest. Nigerien public television presented Marius Bercea as an agent of French foreign intelligence (DGSE).
Diplomatic relations broken since the 2023 coup
If the diplomatic source does not provide more information on this French national, it indicates that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “is fully mobilized to obtain his release and his departure from Niger”. Marius Bercea’s LinkedIn account presents him as a security consultant, with previous stays in Niger for private security companies, others in Algeria and Iraq. He also served as a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion for fifteen years.
Diplomatic relations between France and Niger have been virtually broken since the generals came to power in a coup in July 2023 which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. The French soldiers engaged in the anti-jihadist fight have since been chased out, the ambassador expelled and the Franco-Nigerian cultural center has ceased to function as a binational establishment. It was renamed “Moustapha Alassane”, named after a Nigerien filmmaker. The regime, which makes its sovereignty a pillar of its policy, frequently accuses Paris of wanting to destabilize it, which France rejects.
Source: www.liberation.fr
