France announces end of evacuation of Niger nationals after 1,079 airlifts

The French government announced on Thursday that it has successfully repatriated 1,079 people by air from Niger, following the military's takeover of power in the West African state.

Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, stated on the platform of Twitter (formerly known as Tweetdeck) that the French nationals and foreigners who were evacuated are now safe.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed on the same platform that the total number of individuals evacuated includes 577 French citizens along with "a large number of other nationalities."

Earlier, France had estimated that around 600 of its citizens were residing permanently in Niger at the time of the coup.

The French military utilized five aircraft in the evacuation operation for its nationals.

Last week, the democratically elected President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted in a coup carried out by his own security guard, a move condemned by the United States, European countries, and the United Nations.

France has deployed 1,500 soldiers in Niger to combat jihadists in the Sahel region, which comprises former French colonies and is located on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.



AFP