Paris’ embassy in Niamey on Tuesday announce that France will soon initiate the evacuation of its citizens from Niger due to the aftermath of last week’s coup, which has resulted in anti-French protests.
Africa Today News, New York, earlier brought attention to a significant protest at the French Embassy in Niger, where attendees rallied in support of the military coup. On Sunday, the crowd’s spirited chants of ‘Long Live Putin’ could be heard throughout the demonstration.
A notice from the embassy to French citizens reads: ‘In the face of a deteriorating security situation in Niamey, and taking advantage of the relative calm in Niamey, an operation of evacuation by air from Niamey is being prepared,’
It also added that it ‘will take place very soon in a very limited span of time.’
In Paris, the foreign ministry corroborated that ‘an evacuation is being organised and will take place very quickly’.
Read also: France’s Macron Frowns At Niger Coup, Deems It ‘Dangerous’
In a troubling trend for the Sahel region, Niger became the third country in less than three years to experience a military coup, following the instances from Mali and Burkina Faso. President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted last week by elite troops of his own Presidential Guard.
The presence of jihadist insurgencies in all three countries has severely tested their delicate governance structures, fostering discontent within the armed forces and exacerbating the economic burdens endured by some of the most impoverished nations worldwide.
The ousting of democratically elected presidents in the former French colonies has triggered demonstrations with an anti-French stance and pro-Russian inclinations.
The West African region is currently treading a fine line as military leaders raise the spectre of war in response to any intervention that may likely come from ECOWAS.