France has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Niger Republic days after the over-throw of President Mohamed Bazoum in a military coup.
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Al Jazeera reported that the first of three flights to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger lifted off Tuesday evening.
Speaking to AFP news agency, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stated that there were 262 people on board the Airbus A330 which departed the West African country, adding that nearly all the passengers were French along with some European nationals.
The flight is expected to land in Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport during the night, the minister added.
France’s Foreign Ministry cited recent violence that targeted its embassy in Niamey, the capital, as one of the reasons for its decision to offer evacuation flights to several hundred of its citizens and other Europeans. It said the closure of Niger’s airspace “leaves our compatriots unable to leave the country by their own means”.
Other European Union countries has also announced plans to evacuate people out of Niger Republic.
While Spain, and Italy announced preparations to evacuate their citizens, Germany’s foreign office has asked its citizens in Niger to take the next available opportunity to leave if their stay in the country is not necessary,
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said there would be a “special flight to Italy,” while Spain’s Defence Ministry announced preparations to evacuate more than 70 nationals.
The number of European nationals in Niger remains unclear but there are around 70 Spaniards in the country and at least 600 French nationals, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Germany’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it presumes fewer than 100 German citizens are currently in Niger, excluding those who are in the country as part of a Bundeswehr military mission.
The United States of America is taking a different approach to Niger. The White House
said the United States was not joining European allies in evacuating citizens for now, citing a lack of immediate danger.
Washington is “certainly aware of efforts by France and other European nations to evacuate their citizens. At the same time, we don’t have any indications of direct threats to US citizens or to our facilities, so we have not changed our posture with respect to our presence in Niger at this time,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
About 1,000 US troops are stationed in the land-locked African nation.
The Nigerien military had on July 26 removed President Bazoum in a coup de’ tat.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
