NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Foreign nationals lined up outside an airport in Niger’s capital on Wednesday morning to wait for a French military evacuation flight as defense officials of a regional bloc met to discuss how to respond to last week’s military coup in the West African nation.
France, Italy and Spain all have announced evacuations of their citizens and other Europeans in the capital, Niamey, following concerns they could become trapped after soldiers detained democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and seized power.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS threatened Sunday to use force to restore Bazoum to power, but the military-ruled governments of two of Niger’s neighbors have sided with the coup leaders and warned that they would consider any intervention an act of war.
A two-day meeting of defense chiefs of the 15-member bloc opened Wednesday in Nigeria’s capital to discuss next steps. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and stability, said the meeting would deal with how to “negotiate with the officers in the hostage situation that we find ourselves in the Republic of Niger.”
