Days after a junta seized power in the west African nation of Niger, the German foreign ministry urged its residents there to accept a French government invitation to board evacuation flights.
“We can confirm that our French colleagues have offered, within the limits of available capacity, to take German nationals on board their flights from Niger,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that it advised “all German nationals in Niamey to accept this offer.”
Since President Mohamed Bazoum and his democratically elected government were overthrown last Wednesday by military officers in Niamey, the seventh military coup in less than three years in West and Central Africa, the borders of Niger have been closed to commercial aviation.
Over the next 24 hours, France expects to evacuate hundreds of French and European nationals from Niger. Based on the prevailing circumstances, the German government declared on Monday that it has no plans to evacuate its nationals.
The foreign ministry of Germany estimated that, excluding individuals who are there as part of a mission by the Bundeswehr, there are currently about 100 German nationals due for evacuation in Niger.
