Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

French-EU Control Over Uranium and Foreign Military Presence Are at the Core of Conflict in Niger

August 21, 2023

 

The Tamgak open air uranium mine is seen at Areva's Somair uranium mining facility in Arlit, Niger, September 25, 2013	Niger uranium exports to EU, in 2023

US military drone base in Niger, 2023	French air base in Niami, Niger, July 5, 2021

 

 

Moscow unlikely to give up Niger toehold as threat of ECOWAS military action looms

By bne IntelliNews August 21, 2023

The ongoing political turmoil in the West African nation of Niger holds far-reaching significance beyond its borders, transcending what started as an internal conflict. While the situation in Niger and the war in Ukraine are not directly linked, both are part of a broader global confrontation between East and West, and Russia is not ready to cede ground or influence.

On July 26, Niger suffered a military coup that has reverberated well beyond its borders. The Presidential Guard, a unit tasked with safeguarding the palace, orchestrated the overthrow of the government of President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been under house arrest ever since.

This led to the establishment of a transitional governing body, named the Committee for the Salvation of the Fatherland. The regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc is now engaged in trying to reestablish order and reinstate the ousted president. It has put its stability forces on standby for a possible military intervention while the rebel leaders have started recruitment to resist any incursion. Tensions in the region remain high.

The Sahel region – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal – has been plagued by jihadist insurrectionists and experienced a string of coups in recent years.

Moreover, lingering resentment towards France, the former colonial power, remains prevalent today. One of the stated goals of the current coup leaders in Niger is to expel the French, who continue to maintain a large military base in the country, looking instead to Moscow for support.

While instability in the Sahel region has largely been ignored by the West, other than by sending in peacekeepers, Niger has found itself in the spotlight thanks to the global clash between East and West.

With Niger a major source of commodities, including gold, lithium and uranium, France does not want to be sidelined, for economic reasons. In addition to the raw materials, Nigeria was planning a 30bcm gas pipeline that would have traversed Niger and Algeria on its way to the European gas market; that is now in danger.

UN and US diplomats have visited the capital Niamey to try and begin negotiations but to little effect. Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was in the capital earlier in August to meet with coup leaders and reported that she had “difficult” talks.

However, as detailed by bne IntelliNews, Russia is trying to increase its influence  in Africa and it supports adding members for the BRICS+ non-aligned alliance in an attempt to counter Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine last year. For the coup leaders, they are seeking not only peacekeepers to quell insurrections but overt military support to crush the jihadists – something that only Moscow is willing to provide through arms sales and its Wagner PMC (private military company), which is already operating in many of Niger’s neighbours.

The geopolitical implications have put the Nigerian coup under the international spotlight as the great powers vie for influence in what is otherwise a vast, but extremely poor country in Central Africa.

Moscow has firmed established a toehold in the country and is unlikely to give it up. Offering trading, money, arms and technology, many African states have welcomed the Kremlin with open arms and the anti-colonial message espoused by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov resonates strongly across all of Africa, but especially in the Francophone countries which are amongst the poorest.

Of the problems the country is facing, poverty is one of the most difficult, with Niger among the world's poorest predominantly rural nations. Over 40% of its population, which equates to approximately 10mn people, subsist below the poverty line, earning less than $1.90 per day.

The country's scorching Sahara Desert-dominant landscape coupled with a young population, where half are children under 14, compounds the challenges. Moreover, almost 20% of Niger's population faces difficulties in meeting their basic daily needs, while access to education is a struggle for over 50% of children due to violence, lack of schools, or infrastructure. These factors cultivate a fertile ground for social unrest and discontent.

France has also taken a lot of the blame for the country’s woes. French companies, often operating under unfavourable conditions, tap into strategic resources like gold, tungsten, and uranium. The country's national currency, pegged to the euro and managed by France, provides Paris with substantial fiscal control. At the same time, Niger's foreign exchange reserves find their home in French banks.

These conditions contribute to widespread resentment, with allegations of exploitation and interference in internal affairs. Anti-French sentiment, historically rooted and partly justified, played a significant role in the coup, fuelling anti-French sentiment and shaping its anti-French character.

Internal politics also play a big role in the instability. Niger is a mosaic of diverse ethnic groups including the sedentary Hausa, the pastoral Zarma and Songhai, the nomadic Tuareg and Toubou, the Fulbe and Kanuri, and the Arab communities. President Bazoum himself is an ethnic Arab, a group composing only 1.5% of the country's population, a small minority, as opposed to his predecessor, Mohamed Issouf, who was a Hausa, the dominant ethnic group in the Sahel region.

President Bazoum's reshuffling of his administration and appointment of associates to crucial positions stirred discontent within other ethnic groups. This reshaping of power dynamics, seen as favouring his inner circle, instigated apprehensions and instability among groups that perceived their influence as diminished.

And, finally, a power struggle between the president and the presidential guard has made things worse. The conflict between President Bazoum and coup leader General Abdrahmane Tchiani, the former commander of the presidential guard, emerged as a  catalyst. The president's decision to remove the general triggered the coup. Tchiani's dismissal, after years of unwavering loyalty to Niger's presidents, embittered him and led to a showdown. The perceived slight culminated in an open confrontation with the president.

Niger's political crisis extends beyond its borders, resonating within the global context of power dynamics. While not directly connected, this episode forms part of a larger narrative, shaping the dynamics between the collective West and the non-West. The implications of Niger's political struggle underscore the interplay of historical legacies, socio-economic challenges, and personal ambitions in shaping the course of nations.

bne IntelliNews - Moscow unlikely to give up Niger toehold as threat of ECOWAS military action looms

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In Niger, the U.S. seeks to hang on to its last, best counterterrorism outpost in West Africa

PBS, Aug 4, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) —

Ten days into a coup in Niger, life has become more challenging for U.S. forces at a counterterrorism base in a region of West Africa known as the world’s epicenter of terrorism.

Flights in and out of the country have been curtailed as coup leaders require Americans to seek permission for each flight. Fuel shortages mean the U.S. commander must sign off whenever an aircraft is refueled.

And yet, as several European countries evacuate Niger, the Biden administration is showing itself intent on staying. It sees Niger as the United States’ last, best counterterrorism outpost — and until the coup, a promising democracy — in an unstable region south of the Sahara Desert.

Abandoning it risks not only a surge in jihadist groups, but even greater influence by Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.

In an opinion piece published late Thursday in The Washington Post, democratically elected President Mohammed Bazoum urged the U.S. and others to help Niger restore its constitutional order. He warned that otherwise the “entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group” and Islamic extremists would take advantage of Niger’s instability.

“They will ramp up their efforts to target our youths with hateful anti-Western indoctrination, turning them against the very partners who are helping us build a more hopeful future,” the president wrote.

While some European governments shut embassies and evacuated their citizens on military flights this week, as scattered anti-Western protests broke out following the coup, U.S. diplomats sent home nonessential staff and some family this week but stayed on.

“The U.S. Embassy is open. We intend for it to remain open,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington.

President Joe Biden called late this week for the Nigerien presidential guards who are holding Bazoum to release him and immediately restore Niger’s “hard-earned democracy.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who praised Niger as a “model of resilience, a model of democracy, and a model of cooperation” when he visited in March, has been calling Niger’s captive president almost daily, affirming U.S. support for his safety and return to power.

As the military overthrow stretches into its second week, U.S. officials refuse to formally call it a coup, saying they retain hope of a return to civilian government. Junta leaders announced late Thursday that they were severing Niger’s military partnerships with France, the country’s colonial ruler, but they have said nothing about doing the same regarding the hundreds of millions of dollars of training and support from the United States, signaling they may have hope of working with Washington. The U.S. says it suspended military cooperation since the first days of Bazoum’s detention.

The firm U.S. stance in Niger is in contrast to its response to other recent international crises and armed takeovers. That includes in nearby Sudan, when fighting erupted between two rival generals in April. Then, American diplomats and security forces were among the first foreigners to shut down operations in Sudan and fly out.

The 2021 U.S. retreat from Afghanistan, itself an important territory for U.S. counterterrorism operations, signaled an administration willing to cut deep in paring its security obligations to focus attention on a main challenge, from China.

U.S. officials declined to say Thursday how far they would go to restore Niger’s government, including whether they would support any use of force by a regional security bloc known as ECOWAS.

“Right now, we’re focused on diplomacy,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, saying diplomacy “should still be the first tool of choice.”

Both France and the United States have threatened to cut off millions of dollars in aid unless the new junta steps down.

But the usual U.S. response of sanctions and isolation when military figures seize power in West Africa is riskier now given the avidity of the jihadists and Kremlin-allied forces.

John Lechner, a West Africa analyst and author on the Wagner Group, sensed more analysts proposing some in-between solution, such as the U.S. retaining security ties in exchange for mere promises of a transition back toward democracy.

U.S. personnel, including members of the 409th Air Expeditionary Group, remain at U.S. counterterror outposts in Niger. That includes Air Base 201 in Agadez, a city of more than 100,000 people on the southern edge of the Sahara, and Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger’s capital.

Americans have made Niger their main regional outposts for wide-ranging patrols by armed drones and other counterterror operations against Islamic extremist movements that over the years have seized territory, massacred civilians and battled foreign armies.

Air Base 201 operates in a sandstorm-whipped, remote area of Niger that serves as a gateway to the Sahara Desert for migrants and traders. In sandstorms, U.S. military personnel wear goggles and face masks as the gritty sky turns red or black.

In heat that can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), U.S. military personnel in their free time have built classrooms for local schools, created weekly English-language discussion groups, helped villagers find a lost 2-year-old girl in a nighttime desert search, challenged a local soccer team to a match, offered residents “American snacks” for International Women’s Day and delivered pencils, prayer mats, soap and other aid to communities in what one sergeant described as “the unforgiving environment of Africa.”

A civilian aviation notice this week warned that refueling was being limited at Agadez since the coup, with every single gassing up requiring approval from the 409th’s commander.

Niger’s junta closed the country’s airspace on July 27. Since then, the U.S. government has negotiated access for flights on a case-by-case basis, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly said on the condition of anonymity.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said most U.S. forces in Niger are staying inside their military bases and are not conducting training exercises as they normally would.

Americans have invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Nigerien forces.

In 2018, fighters loyal to the Islamic State group ambushed and killed four American service members, four Nigeriens and an interpreter.

West Africa recorded over 1,800 extremist attacks in the first six months of this year, which killed nearly 4,600 people, according to ECOWAS.

The Islamic extremist group Boko Haram operates in neighboring Nigeria and Chad. Along Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin pose greater threats.

“Affiliates, franchises and branches of IS and AQ are probably most robust in that part of the world, outside of Afghanistan. So, you know, there’s a lot at stake,” said Colin Clarke, research director at The Soufan Group security and intelligence consultancy.

If the coup in Niger sticks, it will alter what has been U.S. security forces’ best partnership in the region and create momentum for those forces to reduce their presence. Especially after any U.S. military drawdown, domestic turmoil from the coup could draw Niger’s troops away from the country’s borders, allowing jihadist groups to make further inroads into Niger.

Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries already are a force in neighboring Mali and the nearby Central African Republic, supporting and protecting anti-Western governments. Wagner forces usually take a share of countries’ mineral resources in return. In Niger, the country’s notable resource is high-grade uranium ore.

Wagner forces are notoriously bad at fighting Islamic extremists, with scorched-earth tactics that only draw civilians to the jihadists’ side, Clarke said.

And when Wagner is done extracting gold and other resources from a country, “they’re out, right? And the situation is then fourfold worse, and who’s there to clean it up?” he said.

Mednick reported from Niamey, Niger, and Anna from Nairobi, Kenya. Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp contributed to this report.

In Niger, the U.S. seeks to hang on to its last, best counterterrorism outpost in West Africa | PBS NewsHour

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Western military presence in Niger faces uncertainty following coup

France, US facing uncertain prospects for operations, bases in Sahel region

Anadulo, Fatma Esma Arslan  |02.08.2023      

DAKAR--

The military presence of Western allies in Niger is facing unprecedented challenges following a military coup in the West African nation last week.

France, which withdrew its military presence to Niger after the coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, and the US, which constructed its largest base for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Niger, are now witnessing a level of threat in the Sahel region.

On July 26, a group of soldiers calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country (CNSP) delivered a statement on Nigerien state television shortly after detaining President Mohamed Bazoum, saying they took the step due to the "deteriorating security situation and bad governance."

Bazoum was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first democratic power transition since it gained independence from French colonial rule in 1960.​​​​​​​ France, which concluded its decade-long Operation Barkhane, a counter-terrorism mission in Africa’s Sahel region, in Mali last year, continues to use the Niamey Air Base 101 as a hub for its operations. Located near the Diori Hamani International Airport in the capital Niamey, Air Base 101 serves as a joint mission site for US and French forces.

The base, where around 800 US and 1,500 French troops are stationed, also hosts personnel from the EU countries for both military and civilian training missions.

The base operates a wide range of aircraft, including eight Mirage 2000D fighter jets, four MQ-9 Reaper armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a Boeing C-135FR refueling aircraft, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters, and The NHIndustries NH90 military helicopters.

US drone base Moreover, the US has established an expansive drone base in Niger’s Agadez region, known as Niger Air Base 201.

Following its permanent base in Djibouti, Niger Air Base 201 stands as the second-largest US base in Africa.

Built and financed by the US while owned by the Nigerien military, the base has been operational with high-tech satellite communication systems since 2019.

Leased from the Nigerien government for a period of 10 years, Base 201 is regarded as the US's largest and most expensive drone base.

The US invested $110 million in construction and $30 million annually for maintenance. The base functions as a primary intelligence and surveillance center for the Sahel region.

Spread across 25 square kilometers, the base accommodates a comprehensive fleet of UAVs and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) and, including MQ-9 Reaper and C17 transport planes.

With a total of 1,000 troops in Niger, the US military is currently unable to conduct flights from the base due to airspace restrictions following the coup.

The strained relations between Western countries and the coup governments in Mali and Burkina Faso have made cooperation with Niger a necessity for the EU.

The EU launched an EU-led military training mission (EUMPM Niger) in February for a 3-year mission.

The mission aims to provide training and advisory services to the Nigerien army with a contingent of 50 to 100 soldiers.

In May, the German parliament approved the deployment of 60 soldiers to the mission, with an initial deployment of three soldiers.

Estonia also expressed its intention to send five soldiers to EUMPM Niger on July 25, just one day before the coup.

Furthermore, the EU's civilian training mission, EUCAP Sahel Niger, has been providing human rights-based training to security forces since 2012. Italy, within the framework of its Bilateral Support Mission (MISIN) has been training Nigerien soldiers since 2018.

Italy currently has 350 personnel stationed in Niamey for the MISIN and EUMPM Niger missions. The continuation of these missions remains uncertain in light of the EU's suspension of security cooperation with Niger.​​​​​​​

Western military presence in Niger faces uncertainty following coup (aa.com.tr)

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Factbox: Which Western countries have foreign forces in Niger?

Reuters July 28, 2023

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) -

Niger, a key ally of Western countries against Islamist insurgencies in West Africa's semi-arid Sahel region, is host to a number of foreign troops. Those numbers have increased over the past two years following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which soured relations between the countries and their Western partners.

The military ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum threatens to strain Niger's ties with the West.

Following is a list of Western countries with troops in the country.

FRANCE

France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, with support from drones and warplanes. It had counter-insurgency troops in West Africa for a decade but turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

France says the role of its troops is solely to support Niger's army when local forces identify operations in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Paris has sought to avert potential criticism of its role in the Sahel and minimise anti-French sentiment by shifting its focus to supporting local forces, rather than having Western soldiers doing much of the leg work on the ground.

UNITED STATES

There are about 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operates out of two bases. In 2017, the government of Niger approved the use of armed American drones to target militants.

It is unclear how much the United States has given in security assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Niamey in 2021 said the Pentagon and State Department had provided Niger more than $500 million in equipment and training since 2012.

ITALY

Italy has about 300 soldiers in Niger, according to the country's defence ministry.

EUROPEAN UNION

The bloc has 50-100 troops for a three-year military training mission it set up in Niger in December to help the country improve its logistics and infrastructure. Germany said in April it would deploy up to 60 soldiers to the mission.

Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Editing by Nick Macfie

Factbox: Which Western countries have foreign forces in Niger? | Reuters

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Niger Is a Major Uranium Supplier to the EU

NIGER COUP

by Anna Fleck,

 Statista, Aug 3, 2023

The price of uranium saw a minor uptick following the coup d'état in Niger last week, with experts saying prices could climb further. Uranium is a radioactive metal used to fuel nuclear reactors. Reuters reports that the uranium spot price rose to $56.25 a pound on Monday, up from $56.15 a pound one week prior.

While some had voiced concern over the supply of uranium initially following the coup d'état in Niger last week, the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) has said that it sees no immediate risks to the bloc’s nuclear power production with regards to the political situation in Niger, telling Reuters that the EU has enough uranium supplies to keep its nuclear power reactors running for three years. The issue had raised debate particulalry in France, which is heavily dependent on nuclear energy.

The following chart uses the latest Euratom data to show a breakdown of where the EU imports its uranium from. It reveals that in 2022, Niger was the EU’s second largest supplier of uranium, providing the bloc with some 2,975 tU of natural uranium that year - a quarter (25.4 percent) of the EU’s supplies - following only after Kazakhstan with 3,145 tU (26.8 percent). The next largest suppliers were Canada with 2,578 tU (22 percent) and Russia with 1,980 tU (16.9 percent).

According to data published by the World Nuclear Association (WNA), when looking at exports globally, Niger ranked as the seventh biggest supplier of uranium in 2021 with an output of 311,100 tU (equivalent to 5 percent of global supplies). Australia was by far the largest global supplier that year (1,684,100 tU/ 28 percent), followed by Kazakhstan (815,200 tU/ 13 percent). The next biggest exporters were Canada (588,500tU/ 10 percent), Russia (480,900tU/ 8 percent), Namibia (470,100tU/ 8 percent) and South Africa (320,900/ 5 percent). A total of 6,078,500tU of uranium was produced in 2021 worldwide.

Chart: Niger Is a Major Uranium Supplier to the EU | Statista

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Niger coup sparks concerns about French, EU uranium dependency

Niger is the provider of 15 percent of France’s uranium needs and accounts for a fifth of the EU’s uranium stock.

Politico, July 31, 2023

BY GIORGIO LEALI

Victor Jack contributed reporting.

The military coup in Niger is raising fears, especially in France, over its potential impact on the import of uranium to power nuclear plants.

Niger supplies 15 percent of France’s uranium needs and accounts for a fifth of the EU’s total uranium imports. Orano, France's state-controlled nuclear fuel producer, is continuing its activities in Niger and monitoring the situation, a company spokesperson said in a statement emailed to POLITICO, stressing that "our priority is to maintain the safety of our employees in the country."

The French government and energy experts were quick to stress that the tensions will not have any immediate impact on France's needs for uranium as extraction is continuing and, should it stop, existing stocks could still cover approximately two years.

But the coup in Niger could be a challenge for Europe's uranium needs in the longer term, just as the continent is trying to phase out dependency on Russia, another top supplier of uranium used in European nuclear plants.

Tensions in Niger could further discourage the EU from adopting sanctions against Russia in the nuclear sector, according to Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, an energy expert at the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris.

In 2021, Niger was the EU's top uranium supplier, followed by Kazakhstan and Russia, according to the Supply Agency of the European Atomic Energy Community.

"It could have consequences at the EU level. Uranium — and nuclear power in general — is still not subject to sanctions. If the situation in Niger gets worse, this would certainly complicate the adoption of sanctions on Russian uranium in the short term," he said.

Meanwhile, putschists accused France on Monday of planning strikes to try to free President Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently under detention. French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France “will not tolerate any attack against France and its interests."

Orano announced earlier this year that it was working with the Nigerien government to explore new extraction at a uranium site in the country’s northern Arlit region.

This story was updated with material from an official with the French energy ministry.

Niger coup sparks concerns about French, EU uranium dependency – POLITICO

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A guide: Uranium in Niger

World Nuclear News, 28 July 2023

Current events in Niger mean world attention is turning to the West African uranium-producing country. Here is an overview of Niger's uranium sector.

What has happened in Niger?

After reports on 26 July that presidential guards had seized Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tchiani - also known as Omar Tchiani - went on national TV on 28 July and declared himself the new leader of Niger. Bazoum became president following a runoff election in February 2021 in which he won 55.67% of the vote.

How much uranium does Niger produce?

Niger produced 2020 tU in 2022, just over 4% of world uranium output. Current production is from the open-pit operations of SOMAÏR (Société des Mines de l’Aïr), near the town of Arlit. SOMAÏR is 63.4% owned by French company Orano and 36.66% owned by Sopamin (Société du Patrimoine des Mines du Niger). Sopamin manages Niger's state participation in mining ventures.

According to data from the World Bank, uranium is Niger's second largest export, in monetary terms, after gold.

What is Niger's uranium history?

Uranium was first discovered at Azelik in Niger in 1957, and commercial uranium production began at Arlit - 900 km northeast of the capital Niamey - in 1971.

COMINAK (Compagnie Minière d’Akouta) - also majority-owned by Orano - began production from an underground mine at Akouta in 1978, producing more than 75,000 tU before operations came to an end in 2021.

The Societe des Mines d'Azelik SA (SOMINA) joint venture was set up in 2007 to mine at Azelik/Teguidda, 160km southwest of Arlit, in the Agadez region. 62% of SOMINA's equity is held by Chinese interests, with 37.2% by CNNC International. The government of Niger owns 33%, and 5% is owned by Korean interests. Azelik came into production at the end of 2010 but market conditions led to its being put on care and maintenance in 2015. China National Uranium Corporation has recently been carrying out studies towards the restart of production at SOMINA, according to social media posts by Niger's Minister of Mines Ousseini Hadizatou Yacouba in June this year.

What other plans are in the pipeline?

The Imouraren project is about 80km south of Arlit and about 160km north of Agadez. Operating company Imouraren SA - owned 66.65% by Orano Expansion (itself owned by Orano Mining with Korean companies holding 4.7%) and 33.35% by Sopamin and the State of Niger - was awarded an operating permit to mine the deposit in 2009 and excavations began in 2012, but development of the project was suspended in 2015 pending more favourable market conditions. The joint venture is now looking into the possibility of using in-situ leach methods to bring it into production.

Dasa is a high-grade uranium deposit 105km south of the established uranium mining town of Arlit. First discovered in 2010, the project is 90%-owned by Toronto-listed Global Atomic Corporation and will operate under the company's Niger mining subsidiary SOMIDA (Société Minière de Dasa SA) which is 20%-owned by the government of Niger. Mine excavation began in 2022, with first deliveries to utilities expected to begin in 2025.

Canada-based GoviEx Uranium holds mining permits for the Madaouela project, in the Agadez region. The company earlier this year had begun the project financing process to develop the project. GoviEx holds an 80% interest in the operating company COMIMA, with the remaining 20% held by the Republic of Niger.

Who buys Niger's uranium?

Niger supplies around 5% of the world's uranium, but is a leading supplier of uranium to the European Union. According to the Euratom Supply Agency, EU utilities purchased 2905 tU of Niger-produced uranium in 2021. This represented just over 24% of EU uranium imports, putting Niger slightly ahead of Kazakhstan as the EU's leading source of uranium.

What they are saying:

"Regarding foreign nationals, Orano is in constant discussion with the French authorities. The group closely follows the instructions given by the French Embassy to give the opportunity to employees to leave Niger if they wish so. The group supports its Nigerien teams and thanks them for their professionalism. Activities at the operational sites in Arlit and Akokan as well as at the headquarters in Niamey are continuing." Orano, 1 August

"While the situation in Niger remains volatile and there has been protesting in some parts of the capital, the rest of the country remains calm. Importantly, our people remain safe and normal business is being conducted at our offices and development of the Dasa Project continues. The neighbouring African countries union, ECOWAS, as well as the EU and USA have voiced their opinions to the Niger Junta currently running the Country and given a directive that the President and his Ministers be returned to power in 7 days. It is too early to speculate on the outcome of this mandate." Global Atomic CEO & President Stephen Roman, 31 July

"GoviEx's operations in Niger continue as usual. Our employees are safe and continue to work diligently on our Madaouela uranium project, ensuring that our activities at both the Project site and our office in the capital city of Niamey proceed without interruption. We are currently able to meet all of our obligations to employees and suppliers, and we anticipate this stability to persist." GoviEx, 31 July

"An attempt to overthrow the Nigerien government was announced in the press on July 26, 2023 and the situation remains unstable as at the reporting date of the financial statements. The group has set up a crisis unit to prioritise the safety of its employees. At the reporting date of the financial statements, Orano does not consider this event to have any immediate impact on its activities in Niger or on the value of its assets." Orano half-year results statement, 28 July

"Following the recent resignation of the President in Niger, the Company's Dasa Project remains unaffected other than the borders and airport have been temporarily closed which will interrupt our supply lines in the short term … With an infrastructure that has supported uranium mining for over 50 years, an experienced mining work force and the highest-grade uranium deposit in Africa, Global Atomic remains committed to the development of the Dasa Project and the ensuing benefits to our shareholders and the people of Niger." Global Atomic, 27 July

"GoviEx's operations in Niger remain unaffected by the current situation. We are committed to ensuring that our activities continue as normal, both at our Project site and our office in Niamey. GoviEx has always worked for the benefit of all stakeholders, including the people of Niger. We believe in the potential of the country and its people, and we remain dedicated to contributing positively to its socio-economic development. Niger has been a pro-mining country and despite changes in regime, has never experienced an interruption in its uranium mining activities over the last 50 years. This long-standing stability in the mining sector is a testament to the country's resilience and its commitment to development." GoviEx, 27 July

"Informed of an attempt by certain members of the military to undermine the stability of democratic and republican institutions in Niger, which is tantamount to an attempted coup d'état, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, HE Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemns such actions by members of the military acting in total betrayal of their republican duty. He urges them to immediately cease these unacceptable actions." African Union, 26 July

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

A guide: Uranium in Niger : Uranium & Fuel - World Nuclear News (world-nuclear-news.org)

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Uranium in Niger

World Nuclear Org, May 2023)

Niger has two significant uranium mines providing about 5% of world mining output from Africa's highest-grade uranium ores. Niger's first commercial uranium mine began operating in 1971. There is strong government support for expanding uranium mining.

Uranium was discovered at Azelik in Niger in 1957 by the French Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minières (BRGM), looking for copper. The French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) initiated further studies. Further discoveries in sandstone followed including at Abokurum (1959), Madaouela (1963), Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza (1965), Imouraren (1966) and Akouta (1967). In the midst of this, Niger became independent of France in 1960.

In 1964 the coal deposit of Thirozerine was also discovered. It is currently operated by SONICHAR and produces electricity for the northern Agadez region, including the uranium mines.

Historically, uranium mining in Gabon has been closely linked with Niger due to the role of the French Atomic Energy Commission and Cogema (now Orano).

Uranium mining today

In 2021 Niger produced 2248 tU, and cumulative production from the country was about 150,000 tU to the end of 2019.

Uranium is mined close to the twin mining towns of Arlit and Akokan, 900 km northeast of the capital Niamey (more than 1200 km by road) on the southern border of the Sahara desert and on the western range of the Air mountains. The concentrates are trucked 1600 km to Parakou in Benin, then railed 400 km to Cotonou port and exported for conversion, mostly to Comurhex in France.

Production is first sold to the partners in proportion to their equity at an 'extraction price' determined by the government, notionally based on operation costs, but somewhat higher. From February 2012 the extraction price is CFA 73,000/kgU ($145/kgU), paid in Euros. The partners then sell or use it, in the case of the government, through a trading company.

Orano’s SOMAIR and COMINAK were licensed to the end of 2013, and in mid-December 2013 both were shut down for maintenance, pending resolution of negotiation on licence renewal. The Niger government has been seeking a new deal to be based on the 2006 mining law, which raised royalty taxes from 5.5% as set in the 10-year licence to between 12% and 15%, depending on profits. However, current low uranium prices limited the economic scope for higher taxes, and negotiations were protracted. The mines resumed operation at the end of January 2014 under the terms of a government decree.

In May 2014 the government and Areva (now Orano) signed a new five-year agreement for the two mines based on the 2006 mining law and expressing what both sides said was a balanced partnership. The royalty rate will potentially increase to 12% of market value, but depending on profitability. The deal stipulates for the first time that the firms' boards will include Nigerien managing directors – appointed in 2015 for SOMAIR, and in 2016 for COMINAK. Also, Areva will provide €90 million (about $120 million) to support construction of a road from Tahoua to Arlit, near the uranium developments, as well as a further €17 million ($23 million) for development in the surrounding Irhazer Valley. Areva will also build a new headquarters for the two operations in the capital Niamey at a cost of €10 million ($14 million). The government expects more than $39 million in additional tax revenues annually from the new agreement. In October 2014 the government formally approved the agreement.

Orano’s Niger website documents some of the wider issues involved with its long-term activity in the country. The company claims: “In 2013, 90% of the direct revenue from the mines went to the state of Niger.”

SOMAIR: Arlit/Arlette, Tamou, Tagora, Artois

SOMAIR is 63.4% owned by Orano and 36.6% by Office National des Ressources Minières du Niger (ONAREM) through Sopamin, the Niger mining assets company. Orano is the operator.

The Société des Mines de l'Aïr (SOMAIR) was formed in 1968 and started production from the Arlette/Arlit deposit in 1971, by open cut mining of 0.30-0.35% ore down to 70 metres depth. The mine is 250 km north of Agadez and 7 km northwest of Arlit town. Capacity was subsequently expanded to about 2100 tU/yr in 1981 (though half was then laid up). Since 2003, production ramped up again, with the Tamou deposit producing 1565 tU in 2006. The Artois deposit is deeper (90 metres) and at a lower grade (0.20-0.25%). Mill capacity was increased to 3000 tU/yr in 2012 and product is sodium uranate. Average head grade in 2015 was 0.28%U. Resources at end of 2016 are tabulated below. A 16% drop in production was planned by 2017 (from 2015). 

A new 1.4 Mt per year heap-leach operation for low-grade ore (<0.1%U) – Somair Lixi – has contributed up to 1000 tU/yr to production from 2010. Mine operations are certified under ISO 14001 for environmental management.

In May 2013 a terrorist car bomb damaged the mine plant and killed one employee, also injuring 14. Production partially resumed four weeks later, in mid-June, and was fully restored in August. Four French nationals including an Areva employee, among a group of seven who were kidnapped from Arlit in 2010, were released in October 2013.

In March 2020 Orano reported that it intended to ensure the continuity of uranium production in northern Niger, so expected Somair production to continue for ten years, or until the Imouraren project resumes.

At the end of 2013 Areva reported 20,000 tU inferred resources for a 100% owned Arlit concession.

Production in 2021 was 1996 tU with an average grade of 1.81%. There are plans in 2022 to decarbonize the Somair site through the construction of a photovoltaic plant.

COMINAK: Akouta, Akola, Afasto/Ebba

COMINAK is 59% owned by Orano, 10% by Spain's Enusa, and 31% by ONAREM through Sopamin. Orano is the operator.

The Compagnie Miniere d'Akouta (COMINAK) was set up in 1974 and started production from the Akouta deposit in 1978, a few kilometres southwest of Akokan, and then from Akola and Afasto orebodies. This was an underground operation at a depth of about 250 metres, with 250 km of tunnels. Mill capacity was 2000 t/yr of magnesium uranate (75% U) or 1800 tU/yr. Head grade in 2015 was 0.4%U. There was a 30% drop in production from 2015 to 2018 and with reserves almost exhausted the mine closed in March 2021 after producing 75,000 tU.

Cominak took steps to improve its competitiveness. Production switched to the new deposit of Ebba/Afasto, south of Akouta and Akola. Mine operations are certified under ISO 14001 for environmental management.

SOMINA: Azelik

The Societe des Mines d'Azelik SA (SOMINA) is a joint venture established in 2007 to mine Azelik/Teguidda, 160 km southwest of Arlit and 150 km northwest of Agadez, in the Agadez region. Its equity is 37.2% China's CNNC International, 33% Niger government, 24.8% ZXJOY Invest (Chinese) and 5% Trendfield Holdings Ltd. In 2009 Trendfield sold its 5% of the Teguidda/Azelik deposit to Korea Resources Corp (KORES).

Azelik is being developed with major Chinese (CNNC) equity and came into production at the end of 2010, with the aim to ramp up to 700 tU/yr. It is an open pit and underground operation using alkaline leach, and with resources of 15,600 tU at 0.2%. CNNC said in August 2014 that Azelik has experienced prolonged project delays, overruns in its construction budget, and low production “which led to heavy losses and causing default [on the] repayment of bank loans.” In February 2015 CNNC International announced that the mine would be closed and put on care and maintenance due to “tight cash flow". It had earlier hoped to raise production to 2500 t/yr by 2015 and double that by 2020.

Niger mine production (tonnes U)

  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2021 SOMAIR 2726 3065 2730 2331 2509 2164 2116 1783 1996 COMINAK 1075 1506 1508 1501 1607 1313 1332 1128 190 SOMINA 64 est 96 est 290 est 225 est 0 0 0 0 0 Total 3865 4667 4528 4057 4116 3477 3449 2911 2186

Imouraren

Imouraren Inc, a joint venture, is 66.65% owned by Orano Expansion (86.5% Orano, 13.5% Korea Electric Power Co (Kepco/KHNP)) and 33.35% by the state: Niger government (10%) and Sopamin (23.35%). Kepco paid €170 million for its share and the right to take 10% of production. This is in line with Kepco's 2.5% equity in the new Georges Besse II enrichment plant in France. In February 2012, in connection with a 20,000 tU purchase agreement over 15 years, EdF agreed with Areva (now Orano) to take a 12.7% stake in the mine but this did not proceed. In January 2013 CNNC’s SinoU subsidiary agreed to buy a 10% stake for €200 million, though this did not proceed.

Development of the large Imouraren deposit about 80 km south of Arlit and 160 km north of Agadez was confirmed in January 2008, after Areva agreed to increase royalty payments to the government by 50%, following a 2006 agreement. In January 2009 Orano was awarded a mining licence.

The Imouraren project is a €1.9 billion investment, and Orano has also agreed to spend €6 million per year on health, education, training, transport and access to water and energy for local people. Orano was aiming for initial production in 2014, ramping up to 5000 tU/yr for 35 years. Production is expected to be 5000 tU/yr for 35 years from late 2013. It will be the largest mining project ever undertaken in Niger, the largest open pit uranium mine in Africa, and the largest anywhere to use heap leaching – on a 42-hectare pad. The deposit covers 8 km by 2.5 km and Orano lists 213,700 tonnes of uranium reserves at 0.07%U, plus 62,500 tU indicated resources. Orebody depth is between 100 and 150 metres and maximum thickness is 60 m. At full production, the project’s acid heap leaching facility will process 20,000 tonnes of ore per day with an expected 85% rate of recovery.

Excavation of the first pit was under way in mid-2012, but labour disputes put the schedule in sufficient doubt for the government to warn the company that delays were unacceptable. Areva agreed to pay the government €35 million to support security at the site. In May 2014, with current uranium prices not sufficient to justify mining of the deposit, the government and Areva agreed to set up a joint strategic committee which will determine when mining should start – possibly not until about 2020 or when COMINAK resources are depleted. Almost €1 billion in capital expenditure is still required, and 4 billion tonnes of ore and overburden will need to be moved over the life of the mine.

In 2015-16 Orano recorded €194 million and then €316 million impairment charges on the project, writing it down to €348 million.

An earlier Imouraren joint venture agreement was signed in 1974 but development stalled on economic grounds.

In September 2022 Orano confirmed that optimization studies assessing the “feasibility of operating the deposit with other extraction methods” were under way for the Imouraren project.

New mines and prospects

Madaouela

Goviex Uranium's Madaouela project is 15 km from the Arlit and Akouta mines (SOMAIR & COMINAK) in the Arlit region of the Air Massif, and was discovered by the CEA in the early 1960s. Trendfield (25%) and UK-based GoviEx Uranium formed the GoviEx Niger JV in 2007 to explore the Madaouela and Anou Melle mineralisation, but Trendfield then exchanged this equity for a 10% share of GoviEx. GoviEx Uranium is a private company founded by Govind Friedland, who holds 10% of it following an IPO in 2014. Denison holds 20% of GoviEx Uranium, after transferring some African interests in 2016. Toshiba, Ivanhoe Industries and Cameco are also shareholders, with 9%, 6% and 4% respectively. The Niger government holds a 10% free carried interest and in April 2019 acquired another 10% for $14.5 million. In April 2012, Toshiba Corporation entered a convertible debt-financing agreement with GoviEx Uranium, providing support for the company's operations through to the start of uranium extraction and processing, from which time it has a 14-year offtake agreement for 230 tU/yr.

In November 2017, measured and indicated resources of the Madaouela Uranium Project were 42,600 tU plus 10,640 tU inferred resources (NI 43-101 compliant), most in sandstone of the Marianne/Marilyn (M&M), Miriam and MSNE (Madaouela South North East) deposits over 15 km. The unusual Miriam deposit was discovered in 2012. Probable reserves were 23,330 tU, with underground mining of M&M and MSNE, open pit for Miriam. GoviEx completed an environmental impact and social impact assessment (ESIA) in March 2015, applied for a mining permit in June, and the government issued the mining permit in February 2016 for Madaouela I, an area including the above deposits. In April 2019 the government included Agaliouk in the Madaouela 1 mining permit. It is adjacent to Madaouela 1 and covers part of Miriam as well as MSEE (Madaouela South Extreme East) and La Banane deposits.

Conventional processing following radiometric sorting and use of ablation technology is expected to produce 1040 tU/yr over 21 years, with potential for expanding the resource. Ablation applies a physical, grain-size beneficiation process to ore slurries. Start-up capital cost is expected to be $359 million, and operating cost $24.50/lb U3O8, or $31.50 including royalties. Project economics are based on a $70/lb uranium price.

GoviEx’s application for the Eralrar exploration tenement was approved in February 2016. The application for the Agaliouk (Agal) tenement, a significant part of the project, was not approved until November 2017. In April 2019 the government agreed to grant renewed nine-year permits for the Madaouela 2, 3&4, and Anou Melle exploration tenements.

In September 2022 Goviex published its feasibility study for Madaouela. The study revealed that Madaouela is one of the largest uranium resources in the world, with 100 million pounds of U3O8 in measured and indicated resources. The life of mine uranium production is estimated at 50.8 million pounds U3O8 (averaging 2.67 million pounds U3O8 per annum over 19 years). The total initial capital cost is $343 million.

In January 2023 GoviEx Uranium announced that 20 institutions that expressed an interest in financing the project were shortlisted for the due diligence phase. The project finance process is expected to take several months.

Dasa

Global Atomic Corporation, a public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, is developing the Dasa project, part of the Adrar Emoles tenement in the Tim Mersoi basin – about halfway between Arlit and Agadez, and south of Orano’s Cominak and Somair uranium mines.  

In April 2020, Global Atomic announced the results of an updated preliminary economic assessment of its Phase 1 mining plan that featured underground mining of the high-grade (>0.5%U) 'Flank Zone'. This study demonstrated that with a two-year build and a capital cost of $203 million (including 20% contingency) it would be expected to achieve a 26.6% internal rate of return (IRR) at a $35/lb assumed uranium price and an all-in sustaining cost of $18.39/lb U3O8. The Phase 1 plan provided 44 Mt of feed material at 5396 ppm to recover over 44 million lbs of U3O8 over 12 years of production from the Flank Zone. Subsequent mining will be from other mineralized horizons given the resource has been estimated at over 102 million pounds U3O8 indicated and 88 million pounds U3O8 inferred.

In December 2020 the government granted a mining permit for the project. Global Atomic plans to start building the mine in early 2022, with a view to commercial operation about the end of 2024.

In late 2021 a feasibility study reported “initial Phase 1 mine development over 12 years producing 45.4 million pounds”. Initial excavation was completed in mid-2022, along with significant infrastructure development.

Earlier in July 2017, the company signed an ore sales agreement with Orano Mining to sell a portion of its production to Orano for processing by Somair at Arlit, 100 km north. The company’s Tin Negouran (west of Agadez), Isakanan and Dajy (part of Adrar Emoles) deposits are less advanced, but do host non-NI 43-101 compliant uranium resources.

In February 2023 a local court in Agadez issued several orders against Global Atomic Corporation's mining subsidiary SOMIDA (Société Minière de Dasa S.A.), including an order to cease all operations under the Adrar Emoles 4 exploration permit. Global Atomic said the orders would not affect the Dasa project, which is covered by the Adrar Emoles 3 permit.

Abokorum

In July 2006 the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) agreed to develop the 12,790 tU Abokorum deposit in the Agadez region, through its subsidiary China Nuclear International Uranium Corporation (SinoU), but no more has been heard of this.

SinoU and China's ZTE Energy Corporation have established a joint venture to carry out uranium exploration near the Azelik mine.

Trendfield formed the UREX joint venture (approx 50:50) with Australia's Artemis Resources to explore the Tagaza deposits adjacent to Teguidda. (Parent company Trendfield Energy and Resources is a China-based "private international mining and consulting firm".)

In April 2007 the government issued uranium exploration permits to Areva (now Orano), Rio Tinto and others for the Tchirozérine area, 40 km northwest of Agadez. An Indian company took out an exploration licence in the Arlit region.

In January 2022 Niger’s government granted four exploration permits to Tejia Resources for uranium in the Arlit and Tchirozérine departments of the Agadez region.

Niger Uranium Reserves and Resources

  Reserves Resources   proven & probable measured indicated inferred SOMAIR 16,544 tU @ 0.21%   27,603 tU @ 0.13% 23,200 tU @ 0.14%  Arlit concesion       12,845 tU @ 0.16% COMINAK 88 tU @ 0.38% 116 tU @ 0.32% 100 tU @ 0.32%   Imouraren 213,722 tU @ 0.07%   62,584 tU @ 0.06% 2879 tU @ 0.07% SOMINA Azelik   9,684 tU @ 0.14%     Madaouela   12,069 tU @0.1% 30,534 tU @ 0.1% 10,647 tU @ 0.11% Dasa     39,080 tU at 0.15% 33,695 tU @ 0.15%

NEA and IEA Uranium 2022 Resources, Production and Demand

At the end of 2022 Niger's reasonably assured resources (RAR) were estimated by the IAEA as 256,520 tU up to $130/kgU, mostly accessible by open pit. Inferred resources were 53,600 tU at up to $130/kg, all in sandstone and almost all accessible by open pit (98%).

In April 2007 the government said that it aimed for uranium production of 10,500 tU/yr "in the next few years", and named Areva as its strategic partner in uranium development.

Areva is reported to have been paying royalty on the basis of a product valuation of 27,300 CFA francs ($57) per kilogram, and in 2007 this was increased to 40,000 CFA ($83/kg), plus the provision of 300 tonnes of product for Niger to sell on the open market. This was then sold to Exelon in the USA for $42 million.

In August 2008 Niger Uranium Ltd announced an inferred resource of 1700 tU at In Gall, this being Samrec-compliant and in shallow sandstone.

In January 2010 NGM Resources announced an inferred resource of 5000 t U3O8 at Takardeit, some 100 km south of Imouraren. Paladin Energy made a $24 million takeover bid for NGM, but it decided to let this lapse in October 2010 due to armed hostilities in the region. However, the Australian Takeovers panel disallowed the decision and Paladin proceeded with the takeover of NGM and its Indo Energy Ltd (IEL) subsidiary, in line with the recommendations of NGM directors. Following attacks on Areva’s operations, in mid-2013 Paladin ceased its exploration activities and invoked a force majeure consideration.

In 2009 Korea Resources Corp. agreed to buy 400 tonnes per year of uranium or U3O8 and take a 5% share of the Teguidda mine in central Niger from Trendfield, a Chinese company.

Non-proliferation

Niger is party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It has a comprehensive safeguards agreement in force and in 2004 signed the Additional Protocol.

General sources

Orano OECD-NEA & IAEA, Uranium 2018: Resources, Production and Demand (often referred to as the 'Red Book') WISE

Uranium in Niger - World Nuclear Association (world-nuclear.org)

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Uranium in Niger: When a Blessing Becomes a Curse

By Abhijit Mohanty

Geopolitical Monitor, April 19, 2018

Niger, a land-locked sub-Saharan nation, has the world’s fourth-largest uranium reserves – around 7% of the global total. While Niger’s uranium lights the Eiffel Tower and one-third of households in France, the people of Niger – the owners of this wealth – have lived in the dark, struggling with chronic hunger and malnutrition for years.

According to the World Bank, around 60 percent of Nigeriens live below the national poverty line. With a per capita income of $420, Niger is one of the world’s poorest nations. In 2016, it ranked 187 out of 188 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.

So what are the possible factors behind Niger’s underdevelopment?

Several international organizations point to high birth rates, recurrent droughts, ever worsening climate change, and the presence of the radical groups such as Boko Haram as the prime causes of poverty in Niger.

But all these factors represent only one side of a coin.

“Our children are already in contact with uranium. They have it in their bones, in their blood and their children will also have it,” Kalla Abdou, former driver for COMINAK told Greenpeace. “We worked with our bare hands. The mining company never informed us about the risks. We relied on what God decided,” lament Salifou Adinfo, a former driller for Areva.

The cases of Kalla and Salifou apparently mirror hundreds of thousands of poor Nigeriens, whose lives are at stake due to large-scale uranium mining, especially in the northern part of the country.

In 1960, when France discovered uranium in its former colony of Niger, many thought the discovery would contribute significantly to the country’s economic and social development. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a curse – a poisoned gift. 

Uranium mining in Niger

Overall global demand for energy will increase by at least 50 percent in the next 25 years, and will have to be met mostly by non-fossil fuels, particularly nuclear energy, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

For world superpowers, the continent of Africa seems to be a potential source of uranium. And Niger is home to Africa’s biggest uranium reserves, which have been dominated by France for years.

International environmental activists have reported that rampant uranium mining in Niger for over 40 years is a case of exploitation in its most devastating manifestation. Uranium mining practices have endangered the health and livelihood of people living in Arlit and Akokan – popularly known as the twin mining towns in Niger.

Take for instance of SOMAIR and COMINAK, the two subsidiaries of Areva, a French state-owned uranium mining company. SOMAIR, which was established in 1968, extracts uranium from open pits in Niger; it operates a uranium mill with an annual capacity of 2,300 tons.

Similarly, COMINAK was established in 1974; it’s one of the largest underground mines in the world, with an annual capacity of 2,500 tons.

Though Areva earns billions from its affiliates, Niger has seen little profit, and that too comes at the cost of ever increasing pollution and health woes among local communities.

“The gift from Areva is bittersweet for the people of Niger,” says a local activist based at Akokan. “What we see is environmental disasters and health hazards for the local people. The indigenous people of northern Niger are in the frontline of climate change. And uranium mining is making their life worse day by day.” 

An unequal partnership with the government

Undoubtedly, the partnership between the government of Niger and France is unequal. Although Niger obtained independence from France in 1960, the former colonial power still rules over the country’s rich natural resources.

Activists maintain that for decades, Areva has been operating in Niger without paying its fair share of profits. “The partnership in uranium mining is unbalanced in our country. It is really unfortunate for us,” grumbles Mahamadou Djibo Samaila, former secretary general of the Union of Niamey University Students.

“Uranium is a big industry in Niger,” says Ibrahima Aidara, program manager of the Economic Governance at the Open Society Initiative, West Africa. “But unfortunately, Niger is not benefiting much because they are not getting good revenue, and the damage to society and the environment is also very huge.”

In Niger, uranium represents around 70 percent of the country’s exports but contributes only 5 percent to the national GDP. The government of Niger’s share of the uranium revenue is meagre.

“It is incomprehensible that Niger, the world’s fourth-largest uranium producer and a strategic supplier for France, is not taking advantage of the revenue from this extraction,” says Anne Sophie Simpere, Advocacy Officer of Oxfam France. “We calculated the VAT Areva should pay. Areva could cover the cost of free health care system for vulnerable people and their struggling financial system in Niger. So, on the one hand, you have the poorest country in the world that needs money for its development, and on the other hand, you have a big corporation that needs uranium because that’s the basis of their business.” 

A campaign against uranium mining

“Interestingly, in France, one out of every three light bulbs is lit thanks to Nigerian uranium mining.  But in Niger, nearly 90 percent of the population has no access to electricity. African countries should be able to count on fair revenue from French companies extracting their resources,” declares Ali Idrissa, the national coordinator of ROTAB, an organization committed to transparency and budgetary analysis. The “Majority of Nigeriens don’t even know that Niger has uranium, and 99 percent never get any benefits from it. We can’t continue with such an unequal partnership.”

Ali Idrissa is a Nigerien Human Rights defender and anti-corruption activist who has dedicated his life to ensuring that natural resources are managed in the interest of and for the benefit of the people of Niger.

His campaign, “Don’t touch my uranium” has encouraged communities, artists, politicians, and international civil societies to campaign for good governance in the gas, oil, and mining sectors.

But the road was never easy for Ali.

“In our uranium rich-country, we need a fair distribution of resources. But our campaign for democracy and freedom has brought intimidation, threats, and detention’’ 

Environmental concerns

“In Africa, there is an increasing number of causalities due to uranium mining,” says Dr. Alex Rosen, vice president of the German affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear war.

Civil societies in Niger are very much concerned and have been raising the issues of radiation for a long time. “Uranium extraction has significantly damaged the environment, forests, and pastures,” says Mamane Sani Adamou, who is associated with Alternative Espaces Cityones, a Nigerien civil society.

In 2014, Greenpeace conducted soil, water, and air tests in Airlit and Akokan, located just a few kilometers from the mines. The samples were studied in collaboration with the France-based Research and Independent Information on Radioactivity Commission (CRIRAD). The findings were disturbing: “The analysis we have performed show that the uranium contamination in four out of five water samples exceeds World Health Organization safety limits,” according to Bruno Chareyron, an engineer in Nuclear Physics from CRIRAD. “We found evidence of radon, a radioactive gas dissolved in water and also chemical elements. Regrettably, this poisoned water is still being distributed to the population and the workers for consumption.” 

Health problems

In 2005, Shepra, an international network of lawyers which works to promote corporate social responsibility, conducted a groundbreaking investigation in Niger. It found that workers in Niger’s uranium mines were not sensitized on health risks; basic protection measures were not given to them, and hardly any medical assistance was provided if they developed lung cancer due to long-term exposure to radon.

“Radiation has killed many villagers from Garta, Futudou, Himike, Sina-Kwande Nkala and Ghumthi, all in Michika area,” says Dama Zira, Director of Geology at the Ministry of Solid Minerals, the Government of Niger.

Local communities are hardly aware of the impacts of radioactivity, while older generations recall that they have never seen such strange illness before: “People of the affected communities have sacrificed hundreds of goats and lambs to appease deities, seeking for protection from evil spirits which they believe are causing strange illness and sudden death in the communities,” shares Dama.

“Villagers sought spiritual interventions against the high rate of death, miscarriage, and deformed babies. There are cases where children were born with four legs, four eyes, with no eyes or with an enlarged head. Animals were born with six legs,” says Emmanuel Y. Kwace, a senior journalist of the locality. 

An open secret

In the mining towns of Arlit and Akokan, several cases have been reported where ex-workers died due to unknown diseases. But Areva and the Nigerien government are silent about it, as if it is none of their business.

Almost 12 years ago, Gigo Zaki collapsed at work in the SOMAIR mine. Since then he has been forced to retire and was never informed about the cause of his condition.

“We were not given anything to protect our nose or mouth. We were treated like animals,” shares Gigo Zaki, an ex-worker of SOMAIR mine. “We hope the workers today have a better life. We are no longer useful. We can only watch.”

But the doctors tell a different story altogether.

“The main diseases we find here are coughing, diarrhea, and skin diseases. These diseases are commonly found in other regions of the country as well. They are not related to radiation at all” says Dr. Ayouba Dogon-Yaro of the SOMAIR hospital, which is funded by Areva.

According to Areva, in 40 years of operations, not even a single case has been diagnosed involving a work-related illness. Areva maintains that the diseases occurring in local populations are not the result of mining activities but are rather typical of desert climates.

“The explanation from Areva is not satisfactory and vague,” says a Niamey-based journalist who requested not to disclose their identity for safety reasons.  “Areva has never acknowledged that the hospitals lack the equipment and expertise to properly diagnose diseases related to radioactivity.”

“You see that the death rates linked to respiratory problems are twice that of the rest of the country, along with a large number of birth defects, leukemia, and cancer cases reported,” shares the journalist. 

A dark future

Far away from Nigerien qualms, over 3000 km away, people live a sumptuous life in cities of France. Owing to its nuclear power status, France enjoys the stature of being a superpower across the globe.

In contrast, ignored by their own government, abandoned by nature, Nigeriens are facing a hard time finding their daily bread.

It’s not just food insecurity; even access to potable water is being denied due to unbridled uranium mining in the region. The situation is pulsating in Niger, and if it’s allowed to go much further the indigenous communities might launch a massive rebellion, resulting in large-scale civil unrest.

Furthermore, the presence of several radical groups with competing agendas can serve as a potential recipe for disaster in the region. And the ripple effects could trigger a wave of unrest across the Sahel.

The future of Niger seems dark.

A threat of war is knelling at the inland of Sahara, a bitter war with France fighting for its insatiable greed for uranium on one side and the Nigeriens defending their scarce resources of land and water on the other.

Who wins? Who loses?

Silently wonders our stripped mother nature…

Uranium in Niger: When a Blessing Becomes a Curse | Geopolitical Monitor