November the 18th, 2025 – As we mark the anniversary of the fall of Vukovar today, a conversation with Jean-Michel Nicolier’s mother Lyliane Fournier reveals more about her last conversation with Jean-Michel, as well as her immense strength.
As Index vijesti/news writes, the Croatian authorities are still searching for 1,740 people who went missing during the Homeland War. Following an agonising 34-year search, one brave mother has finally found the remains of her son. Lyliane Fournier, the mother of French volunteer Jean-Michel Nicolier, has shared her feelings for the first time since his remains were found, formally identified, and given a proper burial.
She revealed to RTL Danas/Today what their final conversations were like, and what her son, hailed a hero of Vukovar, had in his hand at the moment he was murdered.
jean-michel nicolier’s mother recalls their final conversation
When asked what she was thinking about while standing at the Vukovar cemetery as her son was finally laid to rest after being discovered in a mass grave, brave Lyliane Fournier recalled the last conversation she had with her son.
“The last time he called me was on October the 6th, and he was crying. He said to me: “I didn’t think there was going to be so much horror, especially for civilians. We’re fighters, and that’s okay, but not civilians, not civilians’,” she said. Fortunately, French journalists Agnès Vahramian and Hervé Ghesquière were in Vukovar at the time. They came and filmed and spoke with Jean-Michel while he was being treated for his wounds in the hospital and then called her. “That’s how I found out that my son was still alive,” she added, noting that she is still in contact with them today.
jean-michel’s selfless decision to remain in vukovar
Jean-Michel Nicolier’s Croatian comrades came to look for him twice, but both times he refused to leave. As a foreigner, he was permitted to exit Vukovar, but his decision to remain there until the bitter end sealed his tragic fate.
“I suspected that he had been, of course, but I always had some hope. This time he did not manage to escape. That’s the end of Jean-Michel’s story, but he is still with me. Now I think of the families who are also waiting, and who have been waiting for 34 long years,” said Fournier.
croatia brings comfort for lyliane who has been granted croatian citizenship
This is the first anniversary of the fall of Vukovar at which she will be able to light a candle on her son’s actual grave, knowing he is there, which brings her a certain level of comfort. “There I can go to pray, think… I still think about other families because I think everyone is too focused on Jean-Michel. Maybe because he’s a foreigner, but going to Vukovar was his choice,” she said.
She recalled how she often read the newspaper with her son and how he immediately understood what was happening in Croatia. “Jean-Michel told me that Serbia would have Russia on its side. And us? Europe? Jean-Michel agreed that Europe didn’t care. He was right,” she said. She saw his departure to Vukovar as a fight between David and Goliath, driven by his idealism. Today, despite everything, she finds peace in Croatia. Both Lyliane and Jean-Michel (posthumously) have been granted Croatian citizenship.
knowing jean-michel has been found is still a process
When asked if she feels bitterness about her painful 34-year long wait to find Jean-Michel, she said that she is still processing everything that happened. “Those 34 years are a long time, I still haven’t fully accepted what happened. I was at the funeral… I have to think, process, and accept that the nightmare is finally over,” she said, thanking Minister Tomo Medved and the Prime Minister for the held extended to her.
“If I could find my son’s killer myself, I’d deal with him”
However, that peace faces constant disturbance by the fact that her son’s murderer, known by the nickname Štuka, is still at large, living in freedom. “If I could find him myself, I’d deal with him,” she said resolutely. According to her information, Štuka has changed his appearance, name and data and is protected in Serbia.
Although French institutions took over the investigation after it was interrupted back in 2019 due to Serbia’s non-cooperation, Lyliane Fournier is not holding out too much hope. “No – I don’t believe in Santa Claus anymore. I haven’t for a long time… Serbia wants to join the European Union, I heard. I don’t really have much faith,” she said. She also recalled a meeting with French President Macron in Zagreb, who admitted to her that he had known nothing about her son until then. “At this moment, I have more trust in Croatian than in French institutions,” she concluded.
