NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Foreign nationals lined up outside an airport in Niger’s capital Wednesday morning waiting for a third evacuation flight…
Foreign nationals lined up outside an airport in Niger’s capital Wednesday morning waiting for a third evacuation flight, while a regional bloc continued to debate its response to the coup that took place last week.
French forces in the capital, Niamey, evacuated hundreds of mostly French nationals to Paris on two flights Tuesday, following concerns that their citizens and other Europeans risked becoming trapped by last week’s military coup, which ousted and detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
France, Italy and Spain all announced evacuations for their citizens and other Europeans. The United States has yet to announce plans for an evacuation, however some have left the with the help of the Europeans.
An Italian military aircraft landed in Rome Wednesday with 99 passengers, including 21 Americans and civilians from other countries, said the Italian defense minister. The first of two French flights that landed in Paris overnight had 12 babies among 262 people aboard, most of them French but including evacuees from Niger, Portugal, Belgium, Ethiopia and Lebanon, France’s Foreign Ministry said.
Before sunrise Wednesday, hundreds of people lined up outside the terminal at Niamey’s airport hoping to leave, after a third flight was canceled the night before. Some slept on the floor, others watched video games or talked on the phone.
Some parents tried to shield their children from what was happening.
“I haven’t told them very much, just that they’re going home,” said a passenger who did not want to be named for security reasons.
