Greek-American Journalist Detained in Congo

Greek-American journalist Nicolas Niarchos – grandson of the late shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos – was held by intelligence officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo after he allegedly approached armed militia grouips.

Niarchos is a freelance magazine and newspaper reporter who concentrates on coverage of Europe and Africa. Greece's state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency AMNA reported that he and a Congolese colleague were arrested in Lubumbashi and taken to the capital Kinshasa.

An unnamed senior Congolese government official told Agence France-Presse that the the Congolese intelligence agency ANR was holding Niarchos, 33, because he had been in contact with militia groups in Kinshasa:

“The ANR took the journalist Nicolas Niarchos to Kinshasa to question him about his close contacts with armed groups, especially the Bakata Katanga.

“He undertook moves without first notifying the authorities,” the official continued, arguing that the government “must be vigilant” after the killing of two United Nations officials in 2017. The official confirmed that the American consul had visited Niarchos, who was expected to be released as local authorities “have no interest in keeping him.”

In 2017, the UN sent investigators Michael Sharpe and Zaida Catalan to probe violence in the region of Kasai where they were kidnapped and murdered.

Niarchos is a well-known journalist who who writes for American magazines The Nation and The New Yorker. He went to DR Congo to report on conservation, economy and culture for The Nation magazine, according to his official accreditation.