Niger security forces launch tear gas to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger on July 30, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS)

Niger's borders have been closed to commercial flights since military officers ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and his democratically elected government last Wednesday.

The coup has sent shockwaves across the Sahel region and has raised security fears as groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda have been gaining ground in the area for years. France has had troops in the Sahel for a decade helping to fight an Islamist insurgency.

There were just under 1,200 French nationals in Niger in 2022, according to the French foreign ministry website but only around 600 were in the country right now as many families with children were on holiday.