The Air Force plane that has evacuated 74 people from Niger lands in Madrid
After five days of negotiations and coordinated work between the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Spain completed this Friday at six in the afternoon the evacuation of citizens from Niger, a country plunged into chaos after the coup d'état led by presidential forces last July 26.
Five minutes before six in the afternoon yesterday, an A330 plane from the Air Force and Space landed at the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base, in Madrid. Inside were 74 returnees of 18 nationalities: 16 Spaniards with 4 relatives of Nigerian origin, 9 citizens of the European Union, 6 from other European countries, 7 Americans, and 32 citizens of 10 other nationalities from Africa, Asia and Oceania. according to government sources. On land they were received by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Cuesta, and the Director of Consular Affairs, Xavier Martí.
The Spanish Embassy in Niamey had a list with just over 70 nationals registered in Niger. To the 16 Spaniards that the Army plane brought this Friday are added the 23 that arrived in Paris at dawn on Thursday and another 8 Spaniards landed in Hannover (Germany) this morning. The rest of the citizens have decided to remain in Niger despite the situation of insecurity, with flights and borders closed and the president, Mohamed Bazoum, imprisoned by the coup plotters. The same sources have reported that Spain has concluded the process of extracting non-combatant personnel and that the ambassador remains in the country at the head of the Embassy, which remains open pending events.
Both Europe and the United States are doing everything possible to restore democratic order in Niger, which was the only region in sub-Saharan Africa not controlled by the military.. In addition, according to EFE, the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, addressed the Senate yesterday to inform him about the proposal for a possible military intervention in Niger and the sanctions announced by the Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao).. As reported, under his leadership, Cedeao resolved to seek the return of the democratically elected and now imprisoned government.