France is preparing to evacuate its citizens from the West African nation of Niger because of anti-French sentiment following last week's coup. It has said, it will also help other European nationals to leave. The coup prompted demonstrations against the former colonial power, with the French embassy coming under attack. On Sunday, protesters set fire to the walls of the French embassy compound in the capital, Niamey.
 
The French Foreign Ministry said, its evacuations would begin in view of the situation in the West African country. The Ministry said, its decision was also influenced by the closure of Niger's airspace, which had made it impossible for French citizens to leave by their own means. Italy's foreign minister also said Italian citizens were being offered the chance to leave Niamey on a special flight to Italy.
 
It comes as the military governments in Burkina Faso and Mali warned that any forcible attempt to restore the ousted President would be seen as a declaration of war. The two neighbours, also former French colonies, have both moved away from France and towards Russia, after staging their own coups in recent years. Their warning marks a significant twist that could escalate the volatile situation in a region battling an Islamist militant insurgency.
 
Niger, which is rich in uranium, has been a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist extremism in the Sahel, and both France and the US have military bases there. After Mali's military leaders chose to partner up with the Russian Wagner mercenaries in 2021, France moved the centre of its regional counter-terror operations to Niger.