The Diplomat
The Air and Space Army plane that travelled to Niger for the evacuation of citizens who want to leave the country after the coup d’état landed yesterday afternoon at the Torrejón de Ardoz base in Madrid with a total of 74 people, including 16 Spaniards and their families.
The aircraft, an Air Force A330, arrived in the morning in the capital of Niger, Niamey, and at around 14.00 hours (Spanish time), flew back to Spain with a total of 74 people of 18 nationalities on board, reports Europa Press.
Specifically, according to official sources, the plane carried 16 Spaniards with four family members of Nigerian origin, nine European Union citizens, six from other European countries, seven Americans, and 32 citizens of 10 other nationalities from Africa, Asia and Oceania.
They were received at the Torrejón air base by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Cuesta, and the Director of Consular Affairs, Xavier Martí.
Friday’s returnees are in addition to the eight Spaniards who landed in Hannover (Germany) in collaboration with the German government and the 23 who arrived in Paris. In total, 47 Spaniards and 5 Nigerien relatives have been repatriated, who requested to be evacuated due to the situation of insecurity and the absence of commercial flights out of the country.
There was a colony of some 70 Spaniards in Niger, although some of them have decided not to leave the country, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. The Spanish embassy will remain open in Niamey with its head of delegation at its head.
Last week, a group of soldiers ousted Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum. Niger has experienced four – now five – coups since gaining independence from France in 1960, as well as several failed attempts, most recently in 2021, days before Bazoum took office.
