PARIS – West African country, Niger has closed its airspace for French airlines, including Air France, as the ties between the two countries deteriorate further.
The military junta that took control of Niger after a coup on July 26 has made the ban public throughout the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASCNA), confirming that French planes and those chartered by France are forbidden.
It should be kept in mind that the airspace is still open to all national and international commercial flights but not to France.
On the other hand, Air France has confirmed that all flights over Niger airspace are not being operated currently. The carrier has announced that it suspended its flights to Niamey since August 7 while the decision to return these flights has yet to be announced.
On August 6, Niger initially implemented an airspace closure citing concerns about potential intervention from neighboring nations. This decision came in response to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issuing a threat of military action to reinstate the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum.
What invited the ban was France’s support for ECOWAS and the bilateral relations are believed to be at an all-time low due to the episode.
The ban comes on the heels of statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron who said a few weeks ago that the French ambassador to Niger was being held ‘hostage’ by those in authority.
France formally withdrew its ambassador on Sunday and announced that it would be stopping all military cooperation with Niger. The country is also set to pull more than 1,500 military troops from both Niger and surrounding countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso.
The West African country has been changing its decisions regarding the utility of airspace in recent weeks. Niger reopened its airspace on September 4 for commercial flights after keeping it closed for nearly a month.
The country then announced on August 6 that it was closing its airspace due to the “threat of intervention from neighboring countries”.
The tension relates to the elected President Mohamed Bazoum who had been overthrown in a coup on July 26.
France seems to be affected badly by the regional tension in Africa. Earlier in August, Mali indefinitely suspended the issuance of visas to French nationals, a development confirmed by its Foreign Ministry.
In a statement, Mali said the move was reciprocal after it “learned, with surprise” through the press that the French Foreign Ministry classified Mali in the “red zone” on the grounds of “strong regional tensions.”
“In application of reciprocity, the ministry suspends, until further notice, the issuance of visas to French nationals by the diplomatic and consular services of Mali in France,” an official statement by Mali said.
