France’s first evacuation plane left Niger on Tuesday with more than 250 people on board, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. France had said it planned to evacuate its nationals and EU citizens from the West African country following a military coup last Wednesday that unleashed protests against the former colonial power. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
This liveblog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of recent events in Niger, click here.
10:40pm: West Africa defence chiefs to meet Wednesday to discuss Niger coup
Defence chiefs from West African regional bloc ECOWAS will meet in Nigeria's capital Abuja for two days starting Wednesday to discuss last week's coup in Niger, the bloc said in a statement on Tuesday.
8:44pm: First French evacuation flight leaves Niger, says foreign minister
The first flight to evacuate French citizens from coup-hit Niger has taken off with 262 people on board, including a dozen babies, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said to AFP on Tuesday.
“Almost all of the passengers are French nationals,” Colonna said, adding that there are also “several European nationals” on board.
The plane is due to land in Paris tonight or early Wednesday morning.
France has sent three planes to the capital Niamey to bring back French and European citizens wishing to leave the Sahel nation six days after elite troops ousted the president.
6:51pm: Second French air force plane arrives in Niamey for evacuation effort
A second French air force plane has arrived at the airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, to evacuate French and European nationals, FRANCE 24 journalist Wassim Nasr wrote on X ( formerly known as Twitter), accompanied by a video of the plane taxiing down the runway from a local source.
France’s armed forces are expected to send a third plane to Niamey for evacuations.
6:34pm: Ivory Coast suspends import and export of goods from Niger
All imports and exports of goods from Niger have been suspended due to regional sanctions, Ivory Coast's government said on Tuesday.
6:18pm: Evacuation of French troops in Niger 'not on agenda', says military official
France has no plan to evacuate the 1,500 French soldiers deployed in Niger as Paris moves to evacuate its citizens stuck in the country after the military coup, an official in the chief of staff of the armed forces said on Tuesday.
Evacuating French military personnel in Niger is "not on the agenda", said the official, asking not to be named, adding that three French military Airbus planes were on their way to Niamey to pick up French citizens.
5:27pm: US says no indication Russia was behind coup in Niger
The White House said on Tuesday it has no indication Russia was behind the coup in Niger and that the United States is not joining European allies in evacuating its citizens from the West African country for now.
The US has not changed its decision on its presence in Niger where it has about 1,100 US troops operating from two bases, the White House said.
The US government has not yet made any decision on the future of US assistance to Niger, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters.
5:16pm: France begins mission to evacuate nationals, EU citizens from Niger
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 on Tuesday began a complex mission to evacuate hundreds of French and EU citizens, FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali reports.
3:30pm: Western sanctions on Niger may not restore 'weakened' President Bazoum to power, expert says
France, the EU and the US have imposed sanctions on Niger since a military coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. But pressure from the West may not guarantee "weakened" Bazoum's future as leader, Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation told FRANCE 24.
“His credibility has been really damaged. He’s been held for four days by his own guards without a single army or police unit coming to his rescue.”
2:50pm: Germany urges citizens in Niger to leave on French flights
Germany's foreign ministry on Tuesday advised its citizens in the capital of coup-hit Niger to take up an offer of leaving on French evacuation flights.
"Our French colleagues have offered, within the limits of available capacity, to take German nationals on board their flights from Niger," a foreign ministry spokesman said.
"The foreign ministry advises ... all German nationals in Niamey to accept the offer." The ministry believes there are fewer than 100 German civilians in the country.
2:10pm: Spain to evacuate more than 70 citizens from Niger
The Spanish government is preparing to evacuate more than 70 Spaniards in Niger by air after the military seized power in West African country, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
A foreign ministry spokesperson declined to provide further details about the operation, such as whether Spain would send its own aircraft, citing security concerns.
The Spanish foreign ministry said embassy staff in Niamey have contacted Spanish residents and visitors there to coordinate the operation.
1:40pm: French plane en route to Niamey to begin evacuations
A French plane is on its way to Niamey airport to evacuate the first French nationals from Niger's capital, a source with knowledge of the evacuation operation has told AFP.
The source did not specify when the plane was expected to return to France.
Diplomatic sources have said French and European nationals wishing to leave the country will be evacuated, on a voluntary basis.
12:57pm: French foreign minister says 'necessary agreements' in place for evacuation of French citizens from Niger
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Tuesday that the "necessary agreements" were in place to evacuate French citizens from Niger following last week's military coup.
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.
12:42pm: EU sees 'no immediate risks' if Niger cuts uranium supplies
EU nuclear agency Euratom has said it sees no immediate risk to nuclear power production in Europe should Niger cut its deliveries of uranium.
Euratom told Reuters that Niger was the second-largest supplier of natural uranium to the European Union last year.
It said utilities in the bloc had enough uranium inventories to fuel its nuclear power reactors for three years.
"If imports from Niger are being cut, there are no immediate risks to the security of nuclear power production in the shortterm," said Euratom.
11:55am: French government discusses modalities of evacuation
The French government has convened a ministerial meeting to decide on the exact modalities of the evacuation.
France is planning to use military personnel transport planes to evacuate French and EU citizens, sources close to the operation have told FRANCE 24.
Our international affairs editor Philip Turle has the details.
10:40am: Italy offers special flight to repatriate nationals from Niger
Italy's foreign minister has said the government will arrange a special flight to repatriate its citizens from Niamey.
"The Italian government has decided to offer our fellow citizens in Niamey the chance to leave the city on a special flight to Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a tweet.
9:55am: Evacuation of French citizens in Niger to begin Tuesday
France is set to begin evacuating its citizens in Niger later today, the French foreign ministry said in a statement, citing last week's military coup and anti-French unrest in the country.
French authorities are also working on the evacuation of citizens from other European countries, the statement said.
The decision to move citizens out was prompted by attacks on the French embassy in Niamey, and the closure of Niger's airspace which made regular departures impossible, the ministry added.
8:05am: France to evacuate nationals from Niger 'very soon', embassy says
France is preparing to evacuate its nationals from Niger following anti-French protests in the wake of last week's military coup, the French embassy in Niamey has said.
"In the face of a deteriorating security situation in Niamey (…) an operation of evacuation by air from Niamey is being prepared," said a message sent out by the embassy to French citizens.
The evacuations "will take place very soon in a very limited span of time", the message said.
1:30am: Burkina Faso, Mali warn against military intervention in Niger
Junta-led Burkina Faso and Mali warned Monday that any military intervention in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum would be considered a "declaration of war" against their two countries.
The warning from Niger's military-ruled neighbours came a day after West African leaders, supported by their Western partners, threatened to use "force" to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum and slapped financial sanctions on the putschists.
In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that "disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger ... could destabilise the entire region".
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Key events in Niger so far
Niger's elected president Mohamed Bazoum, has been held by the military since July 26, in the third coup in as many years to topple an elected leader in the Sahel.
The head of Niger’s powerful presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has declared himself the country’s new leader.
Tiani said the putsch was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed, as well as corruption and economic woes.
Former colonial ruler France and the European Union have suspended security cooperation and financial aid to Niger following the coup, while the United States warned that its aid could also be at stake.
At an emergency summit on Sunday the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Tiani one week to reinstate the country's democratically elected president and have threatened to use force if the demands aren't met.
France has denied accusations from Niger's coup leaders that Paris is plotting to intervene militarily, with Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna telling FRANCE 24 that "France's only priority is the safety of our nationals".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
