Niger's military junta and French firm Orano clash over uranium transport, raising safety and legal concerns amid potential Russian involvement.
A convoy carrying radioactive uranium concentrate is at the center of a dispute between Niger's military junta and French state-owned Orano, reports the American Journal of Transportation.
Niger's army seized power in 2023 and nationalized Orano's uranium mines the following year. Orano has launched arbitration to overturn this move and warned that trucking more than 1,000 tonnes of yellowcake nearly 700 miles to Togo's port of Lome breaches international safety standards.
French newspaper Le Monde reported that Niger may have agreed to a US$170 million sale to Russian nuclear group Rosatom, though both sides deny this claim. Orano highlighted the risk of transporting uranium through unsecured corridors where jihadist groups are active.
Satellite images showed that the convoy left the Arlit mine in northern Niger and reached Niamey Airport last month. Trucks operated by BM Trans carried containers marked with radioactive symbols. Junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani hailed the departure as an end to decades of French control over a resource he described as plundered.
The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes has barred Niger from selling or moving the uranium until the dispute is resolved. Reuters reported that Orano may pursue further legal action, including criminal proceedings.
Recent satellite images indicate that the convoy remains parked at Niamey Airport. Analysts suggest that the junta may be reconsidering the legality and safety of moving the uranium, despite General Tiani's insistence on Niger's right to dispose of its natural resources independently.
