IRIA News

Several European countries and the U.S. have announced to evacuate their non-essential and non-emergency staff members from their respective embassies in Niger after the last week’s military coup in the West African country.

The U.S. Department of Defense released a notice on August 2, 2023, stating that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel working at the U.S. embassy in Niger.

“Given ongoing developments in Niger and out of an abundance of caution, the Department of State is ordering the temporary departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Embassy in Niamey,” the State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The statement also alerted the U.S. citizens in Niger that there are a limited number of commercial flights operating out of the West African country. It said that “We updated our travel advisory to reflect this and informed U.S. citizens that we are only able to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Niger given our reduced personnel.”

Several European countries have also arranged the evacuation of their citizens and embassy staff with their families following the country’s violent situation.

France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it is carrying out the evacuations prompted by violence against the French Embassy in Niamey and the closure of Niger’s airspace.

French President Macron posted on social media, “France evacuated more than a thousand French people, Europeans, and nationals from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, who wanted to leave Niger.”

La France a évacué plus de mille Français, Européens et ressortissants d’Amérique latine, d’Afrique, du Moyen-Orient et d’Asie, qui souhaitaient quitter le Niger.

Aux agents de l’Ambassade de France à Niamey et du Quai d’Orsay, ainsi qu’à nos militaires : merci. pic.twitter.com/St2tUDAehB

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 3, 2023

Italy has also announced that it would be evacuating its citizens from Niger. One day following the military takeover, a flight carrying 262 French and Italian citizens landed in Paris. The UK Foreign Office said it was temporarily reducing its number of embassy staff “due to the security situation.”

Niger’s military takeover

The threat of violence against European and American citizens has increased in Niger following the country’s military takeover which started on July 26. Soldiers detained Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum and seized power while General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guards, named himself the leader of Niger. Allegedly backed by Russia, Niger’s military takeover resonates with the same anti-Western and prominently anti-French sentiments seen in Mali.

Niger has gone through four successful military coups since its independence from France with the latest one being the fifth instalment. Bazoum’s inauguration in 2021 marked the first democratic transition of power since France’s colonial rule.

Following the coup, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic and political bloc, issued a statement calling Bazoum’s detention a “hostage situation” and calling for his reinstatement. ECOWAS has also imposed several sanctions on Niger immediately after the military takeover.

“The military option is the very last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security. “There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite.”

In a televised address, self-proclaimed leader Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani said that his military administration “rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give in to any threats, wherever they come from.”

The situation remains particularly tense in the capital as pro-military demonstrations have filled the streets carrying Niger as well as Russian flags. Kremlin has refused any involvement in the coup. The Kremlin has warned that any interference in Niger from non-regional powers such as the United States is unlikely to improve the situation following a military coup.