France has asked “the Nigerien security forces to take the necessary measures to ensure that the security of foreign diplomatic premises in Niamey, particularly those of France, will be fully guaranteed” during demonstrations scheduled for Thursday, August 3.
“While several calls to demonstrate are being issued for August 3, France recalls that the security of land and diplomatic personnel are obligations under international law, and in particular the Vienna Conventions”, underlines the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. It is precisely a violent demonstration against the French embassy last Sunday in Niamey, which led, on Tuesday, the French government to launch an evacuation operation of its nationals.
During this demonstration, which took place a few days after the military coup against Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, windows had been broken, and pro-coup demonstrators, chanting anti-French slogans, had tried to enter the compound of the French Embassy. The Quai d’Orsay had also argued that the airspace was closed and that the French could no longer leave the country by their own means. Since then, the borders have been partially reopened.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power in Niamey at the head of putschist soldiers, estimated Wednesday evening that the French “have no objective reason to leave Niger”.
French nationals “have never been the object of the slightest threat” and they have “no objective reason to leave Niger”, declared General Tiani in a television speech on the eve of the feast of the independence of the country, former French colony.
Five French military aircraft
A total of five military planes were chartered by the French Army for the evacuations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet communicated the total number of people repatriated. On Wednesday evening, he indicated that the fourth flight brought the number of evacuees to 992, including 560 French people, “alongside many foreign nationals”.
Evacuation is done on a voluntary basis. And some 600 French people have expressed their wish to leave. 1,200 French people are registered on the consular lists but some of them are on vacation, outside France. For their part, the United States on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of their non-essential staff at the embassy in Niamey, while the United Kingdom “temporarily reduced the number of its employees in its embassy”.