Published on 04/12/2024 21:38
Reading time: 1min – video: 2min
Niger: France replaced by Russia in uranium mining?
Niger: France replaced by Russia in uranium mining?
(France 2)
The French company Orano has announced that it has lost control of a uranium mine in Niger. The ruling junta would have taken possession of it. The Russians could take France's place in the exploitation of this resource.
Who today runs a huge uranium mine located in northern Niger? The French giant Orano says it has lost control in a press release published Wednesday December 4. “The Nigerien authorities have taken operational control”notes the text. The company “expresses its deepest regrets at the development of the situation”.
The French point the finger at the military junta in power in Niger, which for more than two weeks has been giving direct orders to mine employees, without taking into account the board of directors. However, on paper, the mine is controlled by Orano at more than 63%, while the State of Niger is a minority shareholder. For supporters of the junta in Niamey (Niger), this takeover, although illegal, is a good thing: “We are a sovereign state, this is what Orano has not yet understood”underlines Abdoulaye Seydou, coordinator of the M62 citizen movement.
Russian companies, invited by the Nigerien minister of mines to exploit the country's natural resources, including uranium, could ultimately replace the French.
Watch the full report in the video above.
