One of the coup plotters declared on national television on Tuesday that Niger’s land and air borders with five neighboring countries have been reopened, nearly a week after they were closed in a coup that deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
“The land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali and Chad are reopened “as of today”, he declared.
An airport source told AFP that a first French jet carrying 262 people, including some European nationalities, landed at Paris-Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport just after 01:30 (23:30 GMT) on Tuesday night.
The reopening of borders with five neighboring countries comes just a few days before the deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday to restore constitutional order, which does not rule out the use of “force” if it is not met.
Pressure on the military putschists is increasing internationally.
The coup has been strongly condemned by Niger’s Western and African partners, and the European Union (EU), France, and Germany have blocked funding to a country that is economically dependent on outside allies.
Despite its uranium riches, Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries, plagued by attacks by organizations affiliated to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the west and southeast.