French Mining Company Orano to Exit Niger

Orano, the French nuclear energy giant, is poised to exit Niger amid a deepening diplomatic and commercial crisis with the Niger government. The company is reportedly considering selling off its uranium assets following escalating tensions with Nigerien authorities, including the suspension of uranium exports, frozen payments, and raid on its offices in the capital.

The situation took a critical turn on May 5 when Niger’s External Security Service (DGDSE) raided Orano’s offices in Niamey and its subsidiaries, seizing electronic devices and detaining key personnel. By the following morning, the premises were sealed, halting all operations and preventing staff from entering the buildings.

According to sources familiar with the incident, Ibrahim Courmo, Orano’s local director, was arrested during the operation. The raid follows Niger’s decision on June 19, 2024, to revoke Orano’s license to develop the massive Imouraren uranium deposit, one of the world’s largest known untapped reserves.

The government cited Orano’s prolonged delays and failure to meet development commitments as grounds for cancellation. Orano, which has operated in Niger for decades and was formerly part of the state-owned Areva group, contested the revocation, attributing the setbacks to deteriorating security in the region.

As one of the key suppliers of uranium to France’s nuclear power sector, Orano’s operations in Niger have long been central to Paris’s energy strategy in the Sahel. But relations between France and Niger have sharply deteriorated since the July 2023 military coup, with the new leadership distancing itself from former colonial ties.

It will be recalled that Niger suspended uranium exports to France and halted payments to the company, exacerbating its financial difficulties and forcing a reassessment of its presence in the country.

Orano had earlier launched international arbitration proceedings against Niger over the Imouraren license revocation, following months of failed mediation efforts.

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