France began evacuating hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger on Tuesday, August 1, a few days after a junta ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, supported by the West, and amid calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from this poor West African country.
The first of three flights to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger took place in the evening. “There are 262 people aboard the plane, an Airbus A330, including about ten babies,” said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to the AFP news agency.
“Almost all of the passengers are compatriots” as well as “a few European nationals.” France, Italy, and Spain had all announced evacuations from Niger for their citizens and other European nationals.
The evacuation came days after thousands of Nigerien protesters burned the French flag and attacked the French embassy in the capital of Niger on Sunday, several days after a junta toppled and detained President Bazoum.
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The West African regional bloc ECOWAS gave the junta a week to stop Bazoum or face military intervention. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea rejected the threat and stated that any intervention would mean a “declaration of war” and the disintegration of the regional organization.
The junta also accused Paris of planning a military intervention. The coup dealt a blow to Western powers, primarily France, Germany, and the United States, all of whom had military troops in this poor and landlocked country.
