The special flight set up by the government to bring back the Italians who decided to leave Niger after the coup d'état landed this morning at Ciampino military airport shortly after 5 am.

To welcome them were the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, and the US charge d'affaires in Rome.

87 people were on board the Air Force Boeing 767 that took off from Niamey: 36 Italians, 21 Americans, 4 Bulgarians, 2 Austrians, a Nigerian, a Nigerian, a Hungarian and a Senegalese.

Tajani thanked «the Air Force, the armed forces, the Italian Embassy in Niger and our Crisis Unit. We followed with the prime minister everything that was happening in Niger – added the foreign minister -. We were also able to accommodate 21 US citizens and other non-Europeans, including an Australian, on our plane. Everything went in an orderly manner. A success of our diplomacy. And we continue to work for the diplomatic solution. Our embassy remains open to follow all our compatriots who have decided to stay and who we will continue to assist. Our priority is the safety of all our compatriots, civilian and military."

(Unioneonline/ss)

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