Niger Coup: Germany Asks Citizens To Join Evacuation Flights

The German foreign ministry has urged its citizens in Niger to take up an offer from the French authorities to join their evacuation flights on Tuesday, days after a junta seized power in the West African country.

“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.”

Niger’s borders have been closed to commercial flights since military officers ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and his democratically elected government last Wednesday, in the seventh military takeover in less than three years in West and Central Africa.

France plans to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger over the next 24 hours.

The German government said on Monday it was not planning to evacuate its citizens based on the current situation.

Germany’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it presumes fewer than 100 German citizens are currently in Niger, excluding those who are in the country as part of a Bundeswehr military mission.