Yassine Mansouri, Head of Moroccan intelligence agency receives “The Star of Romania”, a new recognition of Morocco’s security services excellency

The head of the General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED), Yassine Mansouri, has been decorated with “The Star of Romania,” the highest distinction of this European country, awarded by its president, Klaus Werner Johannis. This decoration is a new recognition of the decisive contribution of Moroccan intelligence services to regional and international security.

This decoration is viewed as another significant gesture of recognition to Moroccan security services for their contribution to ensuring security at regional and international levels.

Upon the decision of President Klaus Werner Johannis, published in the Romanian Official Gazette on November 6, 2023, Yassine Mansouri was decorated on December 11 with the “Star of Romania” (Grand Officer Order), the highest distinction in the country, falling under the exclusive prerogatives of the President of the Republic.

This decoration was preceded by messages of appreciation to the Moroccan services, in August 2023, for their decisive intervention in the liberation of Iulian Ghergut, a Romanian security officer who had been abducted on April 4, 2015, by the jihadist group Al-Mourabitoune, which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The Romanian officer was positioned at a manganese mine in northern Burkina Faso, near the borders of Mali and Niger.

On August 11, the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, praised the successful security cooperation between the intelligence services of the two countries. This was conveyed during telephone conversations with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

Following the phone call with Akhannouch, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu wrote on his X account, formerly known as Twitter, “Looking forward to continuing dialogue and building our cooperation further. Special thanks to Morocco’s intelligence services for the recent cooperation in releasing citizen Iulian Gherguț, who was kidnapped in Burkina Faso.”

In his phone call with Bourita, Romanian foreign minister Luminita Odobescu lauded the “excellent” bilateral ties and thanked Morocco for its “key role” in helping set free the Romanian hostage.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry had also issued a statement announcing the release of the security officer and expressing thanks to Morocco for its “important support” for his release.

For his part, President Klaus Werner Johannis thanked, via the social network X (formerly Twitter), the foreign partners who supported Romania in this challenging undertaking.

“I rejoice at the liberation of the Romanian citizen kidnapped in Burkina Faso! Congratulations to all Romanian institutions involved for their continuous efforts, and thanks to our foreign partners who supported us in this challenging endeavor,” he wrote on his X account.

This was not the first time that Moroccan intelligence services helped free European hostages. In December 2022, Morocco had helped release German humanitarian worker Jorg Lange in Mali, German media had then reported.

Lange was the head of Help Niger NGO and was kidnapped in April 2018 on the borders with Mali together with his driver who was released soon after.