CNN
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France was preparing to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger on Tuesday after a presidential coup plunged the West African nation into a political crisis that polarized neighboring countries in the region.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the first evacuation plane was “airborne,” but did not specify if the flight departed for or from Niger.
There are “several hundred French and several hundred European” citizens that wish to leave Niger and will be evacuated by France, the minister told French broadcaster LCI, adding that she hopes to see the operation completed in 24 hours.
The ministry said it would remove French and European citizens on Tuesday due to the “situation in Niamey,” where pro-military supporters rallied outside the French Embassy in the Nigerien capital to demonstrate against the country’s post-colonial influence.
A message from the French embassy to French citizens in Niger, seen by CNN, instructed those wishing to be evacuated to bring food and water with them while they wait before boarding.
Italy will also offer a special flight to evacuate its citizens from Niamey, the country’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Tuesday. There are less than 90 Italian civilians in Niger and just over 300 military personnel, a spokesperson for the Italian Foreign Ministry said.
At the same time, Burkina Faso and Mali said in a joint statement that any military intervention against Niger would be considered war on them, after other West African leaders imposed financial and travel penalties against the coup plotters.
“All military intervention against Niger will be considered equivalent to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” the two countries said in a joint statement on Monday.
The dramatic ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday provoked split reaction from countries in the Sahel region, where the threat of militant extremism in recent years has destabilized local governments and led to volatility.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday issued a stark warning against the military junta and gave it one week to release and reinstate Bazoum, warning they did not rule out the “use of force” if their demands were not met.
The economic bloc imposed a travel ban and asset freeze for the military officials involved in the coup attempt, as well as for their family members and the civilians who accept to participate in any institutions or government established by the officials.
France and the European Union also cut off financial aid to Niger following the coup.
Burkina Faso and Mali expressed their solidarity with Nigerien authorites and said they would not participate in any measures against Niger by ECOWAS, calling the sanctions “illegal, illegitimate and inhuman.”
Guinea also expressed its solidarity with Niger on Monday, saying it would not participate in measures against Niger.
A Guinean presidency statement praised the Nigerien public and said “illegitimate and inhumane” sanctions would lead to the disruption of ECOWAS. It went on to warn that a military intervention would result in a human disaster “that could reach far beyond Niger’s borders.”
Niger was one of the few remaining democracies in Africa’s Sahel region, where disputes over how to quell Islamist insurgencies gave rise to numerous power grabs including in Mali and Burkina Faso.
When Bazoum was elected in 2021 it marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power, capping years of military coups following Niger’s independence from France in 1960.
But there were signs that Niger’s military leadership believed they had a lack of government support to fight militants and that a coup could change that campaign, Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the Center for the Strategic and International Studies, told CNN.
Niger is also balancing support for refugees with a worsening economic crisis, according to the World Bank, which said that nearly 42% of people were living in extreme poverty in 2021.
The country hosts about 251,760 refugees mainly from Nigeria and Mali, where thousands of people have fled due to the security crisis in the region, the UN’s refugee agency said.
Niger has “endemic problems, poverty, and terrorism, so there are many factors contributing to instability in the country,” Hudson added.
Last week men in military uniforms claimed to have taken power in Niger after Bazoum was seized by members of the presidential guard, before national institutions were shut down and protesters from both sides took to the streets.
A man named as Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane announced the stunning takeover, saying: “We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know.”
The rebellion alarmed Western leaders including the US and France, which are both key stakeholders in Niger’s crackdown on local Islamist insurgencies.
There are about 1,000 US troops stationed in Niger to bolster counter-terrorism operations, two US officials told CNN. The French Armed Forces said 1,500 French troops are deployed in the country.
US officials have stressed their focus on restoring democratic rule in Niger, while the Elysee Palace has continued to endorse Bazoum and criticize the actors of the coup.
In the wake of the deposition, some Nigeriens expressed their anger against the legacy of French colonialism and its continued influence in the West African country.
Demonstrators descended on the French Embassy in Niger on Sunday, telling CNN that France acts as an imperial power by depleting it of natural resources and directing how its leaders steer the economy.
Moscow has capitalized on that anti-colonial movement to stretch its influence across the continent, fostering pro-Russia support in Niger.
