20th Dutch national evacuated from Niger

Another Dutch national has left Niger on a Spanish evacuation flight. The Dutchman had been in close contact with Ambassador Paul Tholen in Niamey before his departure, the Foreign Ministry said Friday on a website dedicated to the coup in the African country. It had already become known on Thursday that a total of 19 Dutch nationals staying in Niger had left on Wednesday on various flights

A group of soldiers staged a military coup in Niger more than a week ago, detaining President Mohamed Bazoum and seizing power. Since then, French, Italian, and Spanish evacuation flights have left the country, including people from Spain, Ethiopia, Belgium, France, Portugal, and Italy.

On Friday, it was announced that the Netherlands was halting"direct cooperation" with Niger’s national government. Support for development and security projects handled through the national government will cease, Ministers Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) and Liesje Schreinemacher (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) announced. Aid worth millions of euros, for example for a health project and a program to strengthen the penal system, will be suspended.