Airlines will no longer fly French nationals to Niger: Sources

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: AFP
2 Feb 2024 01:46

An internal Air Burkina note read that "according to the Nigerien authorities, any passenger of French nationality is no longer authorised to enter Nigerien territory."

A supporter of the Alliance Of Sahel States (ASS) holds a placard reading 'only the struggle set free' during a rally to celebrate Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Bamako on February 1, 2024. (Photo by OUSMANE MAKAVELI / AFP)

French nationals will no longer be allowed to fly into Niger, airline sources said Thursday, as the rift between Paris and Niamey deepens following last year's military coup.

"According to the Nigerien authorities, any passenger of French nationality is no longer authorised to enter Nigerien territory," read an internal Air Burkina note seen by AFP.

"As a consequence they will not be accepted aboard our flights" to the capital Niamey, it added.

Royal Air Maroc has also decided to follow the new rule, except for "special authorisations", mentioned a source close to the Moroccan carrier.

Several French nationals have already been refused entry upon arrival at Niamey airport recently.

Relations between Paris and Niamey have gone from bad to worse since a military coup last July 26 ousted Niger's elected president Mohamed Bazoum.

France shut its embassy in Niamey in December after ambassador Sylvain Itte was ordered to leave. The last French soldier of 1,500 once deployed in Niger withdrew on December 22.

In early October 2023, Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique reported that French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to provide logistical and intelligence support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) if the bloc decides to intervene militarily in Niger.

It is noteworthy that following the coup in July, ECOWAS suspended Niger and imposed sanctions on it. It also left open a possible military invasion to "re-establish constitutional order" as a final option if needed.

Niamey is battling now two insurgencies -- a spillover in its southeast from a long-running conflict in neighboring Nigeria, and an offensive in the west by militants crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso.

The nation's military leaders, wrestling with high food prices and a scarcity of medicines under regional sanctions, have said they want up to three years before a return to civilian rule.

Recently, Niger joined Burkina Faso and Mali in announcing their withdrawal from the West African bloc ECOWAS.

In mid-December, coup leader General Abdourahamane Tiani said the security situation was "progressively normalising" after the army's "multiple successes" in quelling unrest.