French state-owned nuclear fuel company Orano is considering selling its uranium assets in Niger.
- French nuclear company Orano is considering selling its uranium assets in Niger.
- Orano filed a legal complaint against the illegal detention of its staff and confiscation of its properties in Niger.
- The dispute intensified when Niger’s military authorities took control of the Somair uranium mine and revoked Orano’s mining permit in 2024.
French state-owned nuclear fuel company Orano is considering selling its uranium assets in Niger, following the deterioration of its relationship with the country’s military government.
The development comes after months of strained ties between Orano and Niger’s junta, which seized power in a 2023 coup, the Financial Times reported.
Orano operates three uranium mines in Niger through a joint venture with the government. The company said that, since the 2023 coup that ousted the pro-Western administration, Niger has blocked uranium exports and stopped fulfilling its financial obligations as a joint venture partner.
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On Tuesday, Orano announced it had filed a legal complaint in Niger over what it described as the “arbitrary arrest, illegal detention, and unjust confiscation of property” affecting its staff and operations in the country.
One key concern involves Orano’s mining director in Niger, Ibrahim Courmo, who was reportedly detained by the General Directorate of External Documentation and Surveillance, the country’s intelligence agency. The company has said it has been unable to contact him since his detention.
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Loss of key mining assets
Tensions escalated further in December 2023, when Niger’s military authorities assumed control of the Somair uranium mine, in which Orano holds a 63% stake, with the remaining share owned by the government. In June 2024, the junta also revoked a mining permit held by Orano’s subsidiary, Imouraren.
Despite the setbacks, Orano said it remains focused on the international arbitration process initiated to resolve the dispute. In a statement to Reuters, the company acknowledged that “several parties have expressed their interest in the group’s mining assets in Niger and are free to submit offers if they wish to.”
Shift mining rules and loyalties
Since exiting ECOWAS, Niger, along with Burkina Faso and Mali, has adopted new mining codes that give their governments a greater share of mining revenues and larger ownership stakes in resource projects.
The three countries have increasingly distanced themselves from Western powers, particularly France, while deepening ties with Russia.
In June, Business Insider Africa reported that Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, had been in talks with Niger’s military government to acquire assets belonging to France’s Orano SA, according to a Moscow-based source familiar with the matter.
