Italy is putting on a special flight for nationals wanting to leave Niger, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday, after a coup there last week toppled the country's pro-Western leader.
"The Italian government has decided to offer our fellow nationals present in Niamey the possibility to leave the city with a special flight for Italy," Tajani said in a tweet.
He said the embassy in the capital Niamey would "remain open and operative, in particular to contribute to the mediation efforts underway".
The ministry told AFP it was "not an evacuation" but "a special flight for those who want to leave the country".
There are some 90 Italians in the capital, it said, out of a total of just under 500 Italian nationals in Niger, most of whom are military.
There were no immediate other details, including the time of the flight and size of aircraft.
The move follows France's decision to evacuate its own citizens and the closure of Niger's airspace, which had made regular departures impossible.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by his own guard on August 26, in the third coup in as many years in the fragile Sahel.
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