More Than 300 Americans Airlifted From Sierra Leone

U.S. military aircraft on Sunday evacuated more than 300 Americans to Germany in the aftermath of a military coup in this West African nation.

Most of the Americans flown to the U.S. Rhein-Main military base in Frankfurt in an initial flight were nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy and the spouses and children of diplomats, a senior diplomat at the mission said on condition of anonymity.

A second plane with 57 people aboard carried U.S. government workers, their families and a missionary group, said Army Col. Ron Maples, spokesman for the U.S. European Command.

A U.S. military medical team that had been on a humanitarian mission to Sierra Leone also flew to Germany on Sunday, returning two days ahead of schedule.

The United States on Saturday had advised all Americans in Sierra Leone to leave as soon as possible, after the new ruling National Provisional Defense Council detained its first leader, Lt. Col. Yayah Kanu, and replaced him with Capt. Valentine Strasser. Kanu was well-known, while the 27-year-old captain’s background is unknown.

Kanu is said to have angered colleagues when he told a reporter that he would not work with opposition politicians who are mostly members of the party of ousted President Joseph Momoh, who fled to Guinea on Thursday.

Before the evacuation, there were about 800 U.S. citizens in Sierra Leone, including 200 working for the U.S. government.

France will be sending a plane todayto fly out 160 French tourists, a French diplomat said.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the French frigate Duguay Trouin was expected overnight and would wait in international waters in case a further evacuation was needed.

British Ambassador David Sprague said his country has no plans to evacuate its citizens. He added that some British tourists had been stranded in the country and were waiting to return home.