Niger: Military Junta Reopens Land, Air Borders As ECOWAS Defence Chiefs Meet

The new military government in Niger has reopened the country’s land borders and airspace with five neighbouring countries, one week after the coup. 

Spokesman for the junta announced on television on Tuesday evening that border crossings to Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, and Chad were reopened.

This was even as the junta appointed new governors for the country’s eight regions, adding that Niger’s borders with Benin and Nigeria, both ECOWAS members, remained closed for the time being.

ECOWAS had on Sunday issued an ultimatum to the coup leaders demanding that the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum be released and reinstated within a week.

They also warned that they may apply force to reinstate the ousted President.

Already, 10 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Defence Chiefs are holding talks in Abuja over the Niger crisis. 

The meeting is attended by 10 countries including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia, Ghana, Gambia, Cote D’voire, Cape Varde, Benin and Senegal.

Those absent from the meeting are Mali, Niger, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso.

The ECOWAS had issued one-week ultimatum to the junta to vacate and allow President Bazoum to resume work.

But the junta warned that it would resist any plan of aggression against Niger by the ECOWAS or any Western power.

Meanwhile, France and Italy began evacuating their citizens and others, with two planes landing in France and one in Italy.

The French planes carried mainly French citizens but also Germans and several other EU nationals, some from the United States, Ethiopia, and elsewhere, as reported by the French press and French Foreign Ministry.

At least, 260 people including 12 babies were airlifted in the first flight. 

The European Commission said in a press release that around 500 people arrived in Paris on Wednesday on board the first two repatriation flights from Niamey.

According to the French General Staff, two more planes had also been sent to Niamey for the evacuation.

In addition, France offered to evacuate people from other European countries, just as the Foreign Office in Berlin noted that the Germans in Niger were advised to accept the offer.

After a request by France, the European Commission is expected to cover 75 per cent of the transportation costs, according to a press release.