France begins evacuating its nationals and Europeans from Niger

Three planes departed from France to Niger on Tuesday to evacuate French and European civilians following last week's coup, while Burkina Faso and Mali, both ruled by the military, warned against any external armed intervention in the country.

The French General Staff of the Armed Forces said to journalists on Tuesday afternoon that three planes, including two Airbus A330s with a capacity of over 200 passengers each, left southern France en route to Niamey International Airport.

This marks the first major evacuation of French citizens in the Sahel region, where Mali and Burkina Faso have experienced other coups since 2020.

The French General Staff stated that the evacuation includes French and European civilians who wish to leave and aims to ensure their safety after the coup last week, adding that they will return to France "late at night," without providing further details on timelines and arrival airports.

Currently, there are approximately 600 French citizens in Niger. The evacuation will be voluntary and on unarmed small military transport planes. Paris did not specify the number of those who chose to leave on Tuesday.

The General Staff also mentioned that evacuating French soldiers stationed in Niger "is not on the agenda."

In the same context, Italy announced that it is ready to evacuate its nationals from Niamey on a specially chartered plane, which is around 90 people out of fewer than 500 Italians in Niger, most of whom are soldiers. Germany also advised its citizens in Niamey to leave.

Meanwhile, the White House stated that the United States has not made any decision on evacuation at the moment. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, "We have no indication of direct threats to American citizens or our facilities" in Niger.

A reporter from Agence France-Presse (AFP) noted that around a hundred French citizens were waiting for their evacuation, accompanied by French and Nigerien soldiers, at Niamey Airport around noon.
The operation will be carried out "in coordination with the Nigerien forces," according to the French Embassy in Niamey when announcing the evacuation.

Paris justified this decision "due to the acts of violence targeting our embassy two days ago (Sunday) and the closure of the airspace that prevents our nationals from leaving the country using their private means of transportation."

Meanwhile, AFP reporters mentioned that after heavy rainfall in Niamey in the morning, activities gradually resumed, and only a few security forces vehicles were seen.

Many French citizens told AFP that they do not wish to leave Niger at this stage. One French citizen working for a humanitarian organization in the country, who preferred not to reveal their name, wrote in a message, "For now, I will stay here!" while others started packing their belongings.



AFP