- A week after the military coup in Niger, Italy, following France, also began evacuating its own and foreign nationals from the West African country.
- The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is in contact with the French authorities and Swiss nationals on site.
A special flight landed in Rome on Wednesday morning, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Twitter. According to the Ansa news agency, there were 87 people on board the plane, including 36 Italians, 21 Americans, four Bulgarians and two Austrians. According to Tajani, there are almost 100 Italians in Niger.
France had previously reported that a first evacuation flight with more than 260 people on board had taken off from Niamey. There was no information as to whether people from other EU countries were on board the machine to France. According to information from the French General Staff, another plane should fly to France that night. A third aircraft should also be able to be used for the evacuation. According to the information, there are around 500 to 600 French in the country. It was said that other Europeans who wanted to leave the country could come with them.
At the weekend there were pro-coup protests in the Nigerien capital Niamey. Demonstrators also reportedly gathered in front of the French embassy.
Some are said to have torn down the embassy plaque, trampled it and replaced it with Nigerien and Russian flags. Paris had condemned the violence.
Europe’s uranium supply secured
According to the EU Commission, Europe’s supply of the raw material uranium used for the operation of nuclear power plants is secure for the time being. There are sufficient supplies of the radioactive heavy metal that occurs in nature. «In the medium and long term, there are enough deposits on the world market to cover the needs of the EU.
Niger is an important uranium supplier for the EU countries. France, for example, obtains uranium from Niger. According to a Sahel expert, Niger has been France’s fifth largest supplier over the past ten years.
Constitution suspended
On Wednesday last week, officers from General Omar Tchiani’s elite unit arrested the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and declared him ousted. Tchiani proclaimed himself the new ruler on Friday. Shortly after Tchiani took power as de facto president, the putschists suspended the West African country’s constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
The former colonial power France has stationed around 2,500 soldiers in Niger and in neighboring Chad. Niger was recently one of their last local partners in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel. The country is also of interest to France for its uranium deposits.