EU COUNTRIES TO BEGIN EVACUATION OF CITIZENS FROM NIGER AS TENSIONS RISE

Tue 01 August 2023:

Days after President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed by members of his presidential guard, at least four European nations on Tuesday said that preparations to remove their citizens from Niger were under way.

The German foreign ministry said in a statement that the French had “offered, within the limits of available capacity, to take German nationals on board their flights from Niger” and urged its citizens to take the offer.

“France is preparing the evacuation of its citizens and (other) European citizens who want to leave the country,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the evacuation would start on Tuesday.

Italy and Spain have also announced plans to evacuate their citizens in the country. While Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said there would be a “special flight to Italy”, a spokesperson for the Spanish foreign ministry declined to provide further details about the operation with Reuters news agency, citing security concerns.

On Sunday, supporters of the coup burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger’s capital, Niamey. Afterward, French President Emmanuel Macron said any attacks on French interests in Niger would be met with a “swift and uncompromising response”.

French nuclear fuels company Orano said its activities were continuing in Niger and would not be affected by the evacuations, as 99 percent of staff were Nigerien nationals.

Although the exact number of European citizens in Niger is unknown, studies indicate that there are at least 600 French citizens and perhaps 70 Spaniards living there.

According to the German foreign ministry, excluding individuals who are there as part of a Bundeswehr military deployment, it is assumed that less than 100 German nationals are currently in Niger.