PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd August, 2023) France's first evacuation flight carrying 262 people from conflict-torn Niger has left the capital Niamey for Paris, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Tuesday.
"The first Airbus has just taken off from Niamey with 262 passengers on board, 12 of them children. All of them will return to France this night," Colonna tweeted.
The minister praised the successful cooperation between the French defense and foreign ministries and the country's embassy in Niger.
French media reported earlier in the day that two French Airbus A330 planes carrying French and EU nationals evacuated from Niger were expected to land in Paris on Tuesday night. Another plane will be sent to Niger for evacuation later, French broadcaster BFMTV said.
All of the about 600 French citizens, as well as Germans, Belgians, Danes, Luxembourgers and Greeks currently in Niger, have expressed their wish to be evacuated to France, BFMTV reported, citing the French Foreign Ministry. The US has also asked France to evacuate some of its citizens, the broadcaster added.
Earlier in the day, Colonna told the LCI broadcaster that France planned to evacuate around 200 French and other European citizens who want to leave the West African nation. The minister noted that the evacuations would be carried out by two planes flying from Niamey to Paris without stopovers. France has "secured the necessary arrangements" to carry out the evacuations in closed airspace, Colonna said, adding that she hoped they would be completed within 24 hours.
On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the military coup in Niger took to the streets across the country to protest the actions of France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Activists gathered in front of the French embassy in Niamey, among other locations. Protesters reportedly chanted slogans against former colonial ruler France and ECOWAS. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would respond "immediately" to any violence against French citizens in Niger and would "not tolerate any attack on France and its interests."
Last Wednesday, Niger's presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader. France's foreign ministry said that Macron had spoken to Bazoum on Friday and that Paris continued to recognize him as the only legitimate leader of the African country. On Saturday, France suspended all financial aid to Niger until constitutional order is restored. On the next day, ECOWAS gave Niger's coup leaders one week to reinstate the detained president to power saying that it could use "all measures," including military, to restore order in the country.
