Crisis in Niger: First plane lands in Paris since evacuation begins, 262 people on board

The first mass evacuation began. France began airlifting civilians, mostly French, out of Niger on Tuesday evening after last week’s coup. The first plane took off from Niamey in the evening and landed shortly after 23:30 GMT at Paris-Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport.

“There are 262 people on board the Airbus A330 aircraft, including a dozen babies,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in the evening, explaining that “almost all passengers are compatriots.”

In addition to the overwhelming majority of the French, Nigerians, Portuguese, Belgians, Ethiopians and Lebanese also landed, the press present in Roissy told reporters on the Quai d’Orsay.

The evacuation was “well organized, it went pretty quickly, everything went very well for me,” testified Bernard, who has been working in Niger for the European Union for two months now. “In Niamey, there is no particular tension in the city, there is no particular stress, the population goes about their own business,” described this person, who left with the bare minimum.

“I feel good,” said Raisa Kelembho, who returned from Niger with her two boys, relieved. “At some point there was a feeling of insecurity, we knew that everything could change,” explained the mother, whose husband stayed in Niger for work.

Four repatriation aircraft planned

The second flight was due to land at night with French, Nigerians, Germans, Belgians, Canadians, Americans, Austrians and Indians on board, according to the French Foreign Ministry. Of the approximately 1,200 French people registered on Niger’s consular lists, 600 would like to return to France, according to Paris.

The desire of the authorities is to close the operation by noon on Wednesday. At the moment, four aircraft are planned for repatriation. On the other hand, the evacuation of French soldiers stationed in Niger “is not on the agenda,” as the headquarters of the French armies had previously pointed out to the press.

France “will not tolerate any attack”

Paris justifies the evacuation by the “violence that took place” against its embassy on Sunday during a demonstration hostile to France, as well as “the closure of airspace, which makes it impossible for our compatriots to leave the country on their own.” Emmanuel Macron warned against “attacks on France and its interests”.

However, Niamey, in the voice of a putschist, announced on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday the opening of Niger’s “land and air borders” with five neighboring countries (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali and Chad).