The Diplomat
The Government is working on the evacuation by air of more than 70 Spanish citizens who have been located in Niger since the military coup carried out last week against President Mohamed Bazoum, according to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to The Diplomat.
According to the same sources, the Government has decided to evacuate Spaniards “due to the absence of commercial flights after the closure of airspace in Niger and the current instability in the country.” To coordinate the evacuation, the Spanish Embassy in Niamey has made an email and a consular emergency telephone number available to Spaniards.
This past Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, urged Spaniards who are in Niger, and who have not yet contacted the Spanish Embassy in Niamey, to do so “immediately” to have them “located”. and to “make sure they are okay.”
In its latest travel recommendations, Foreign Affairs “absolutely advises against” traveling to Niger because of the “moment of instability” that this country is experiencing as a result of the “coup perpetrated against the legitimate and democratic institutions of the country by a faction of the military that at night of July 26 has decreed the closure of Niger’s air and land borders and established a curfew”.
Likewise, it recommends that Spanish citizens who are in the country exercise extreme caution and follow the recommendations “sent by the Embassy of Spain, as well as the indications of the organizations or institutions in which they work”, and warns them of the need to “be aware of the information regarding the security situation.” Likewise, they are advised “to contact the Spanish Embassy if they have not already done so”.
