France will start evacuating French and European citizens from Niger today amid rising tensions following a military takeover in the country.
In a statement the French foreign ministry said: “Considering the situation in Niamey, the violence against our embassy the day before yesterday and the fact that the air space is shut and our citizens cannot leave by their own means, France is preparing the evacuation of its citizens and [other] European citizens who want to leave the country. The evacuation will start today.”
There are currently up to 600 French nationals in Niger, who last week were told to avoid all travel. At the weekend the embassy urged them to contact the consulate.
Niger’s airports are closed and it is unclear whether the country’s
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