France has “taken note” of the arrest of a Frenchman on Wednesday in Niger, and is doing everything possible to obtain his release, we learned from a diplomatic source on Monday. “We became 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). The diplomatic source does not provide further information on this French national, but 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, and others in Algeria and Iraq. He had previously served as a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion for 15 years.
Diplomatic relations between France and Niger have been virtually broken since the generals came to power in a coup in July 2023 that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The French soldiers engaged in the anti-jihadist fight were chased out, the ambassador expelled and the Franco-Nigerian cultural center 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.
