A week after the military coup in Niger, Italy also started evacuations from the African country. A special flight has departed from the Nigerien capital Niamey, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on Wednesday night.
The plane would land in Rome in the early morning, according to Tajani. On board are both Italian and foreign citizens, he said. According to the minister, almost 100 Italians are said to be staying in Niger.
France had already reported on Tuesday that an evacuation flight carrying 262 people, including a dozen babies, had taken off from Niamey. According to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, “almost all of them were compatriots.” The plane landed in Paris early Wednesday morning.
France has knowledge of about six hundred French people in Niger and is currently conducting three evacuation flights, with other European citizens and possibly also Belgians on board. According to Belgium, there are about 110 Belgian citizens in the country.
Niger’s democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum was impeached last Wednesday. General Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself the new leader. The coup was strongly condemned by the international community.
The chiefs of army of the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet from Wednesday to Friday to discuss the coup. The heads of state and government of the Ecowas countries met on Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja. They condemned the military coup and gave the military who seized power in Niger a week to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
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