Niger’s military junta has banned French or French-chartered aircraft from entering its airspace, according to information on the official page of the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (Asecna).
Information presented to crews Saturday evening on the Asecna website indicates that Niger’s airspace is “open to all national and international commercial flights, with the exception of French aircraft or aircraft chartered by France, including Air France aircraft.”
In a conversation with Agence France-Presse, a source at Air France said only that “it does not fly over Niger airspace.”
The Asekne message also clarified that Niger’s airspace remains closed to “all active military and special flights” except those with special permission.
Niger’s military junta announced on September 4 the opening of airspace to civilian and commercial flights, closed in August due to a perceived “threat of invasion” following a coup in late July that ousted the president. and suspended the Constitution.
Since then, diplomatic relations between Niger and France have cooled, especially after the military junta ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the territory, going so far as to strip him of his immunity and threaten to expel him by force. ., which was rejected by France.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.