The French Embassy in Niamey announced on Tuesday that it will evacuate French citizens from Niger as soon as possible. According to Agence France-Presse, the embassy said, “In the face of deteriorating security situation in Niamey, plans are being made to air evacuate our citizens from Niamey amid the relative calm.” The embassy further confirmed that the evacuation operations will be conducted in a very short period of time.
Earlier on, France and the European Union suspended their financial aid to Niger while the United States pledged to restore constitutional order following the declaration by military leaders last week to overthrow elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced sanctions on Niger, including closing its air space to Niger and suspending trade relations on account of the military coup. The ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, during a meeting attended by representatives of the African Union Commission, said, “President Mohamed Bazoum remains the legitimate president of Niger, and we call on the authorities to restore the constitutional order within a week.”
Both Mali and Burkina Faso condemned the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Niger, stating that any military intervention against Niamey would be considered a declaration of war against Ouagadougou and Bamako. A spokesperson for the transitional government in Mali delivered a joint statement on Monday saying, “We condemn the sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS on Niger which would exacerbate the humanitarian situation.”
The statement also added, “Any threat of military intervention in Niger would be considered as a war against Burkina Faso and Mali.” It warned, “Any military intervention against Niger will lead to the withdrawal of Mali and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS.”
It should be noted that military personnel in the Niger army previously announced the removal of the country’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, closed the borders and imposed a curfew. The Niger army issued a statement supporting the coup and warning that “any external military intervention from any party will have serious consequences that cannot be controlled, leading to chaos in the country.”
