PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2023) France has evacuated 736 persons from Niger, where the military coup has recently taken place, and is currently preparing the next evacuation flight, the French Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the ministry said that the first two evacuation flights had landed in Paris, evacuating 350 French nationals, as well as citizens of other countries, including Niger, Portugal, Belgium, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Germany, Canada, India, the United States and Austria.
"The three flights from Niamey (Niger's capital) have evacuated 736 people, including 498 French citizens. A fourth flight is currently being prepared," the ministry wrote on Twitter.
A group of six Dutch nationals also left the country on Wednesday, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said.
"We keep in close contact with Dutch people who are still in Niger and do everything we can to get those who want to leave on a flight," Hoekstra added in a statement.
On July 26, Niger's presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader. The French Foreign Ministry said that French President Emmanuel Macron had spoken to Bazoum on Friday and that Paris continued to recognize him as the only legitimate leader of the African country.
On July 30, thousands of people took place in a rally against France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Sunday, opposing their condemnation of the coup in the country.
Following the protest, France started evacuating its citizens and other European nationals. On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said that the European Union had decided to evacuate all its citizens from Niger.
