The French foreign ministry says it will soon start evacuating its nationals in Niger following a coup last week.

It said that amid the deteriorating security situation, evacuations by air were being prepared and “will take place very soon in a very limited span of time,” the AFP quoted a message sent out by the French embassy in Niamey.

Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown last week by troops from his presidential guard after they seized power.

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It is the third country in the Sahel, after Burkina Faso and Mali, to experience a coup in less than three years.

The incidents have been accompanied by anti-French sentiment, with the countries embracing ties with Russia.