Niger assault endangers uranium sourced from Orano’s site

Attackers who staged an assault on Niger’s capital came dangerously close to a stockpile of uranium removed from French company Orano SA’s mine.

Heavy gunfire and explosions erupted near Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport early Thursday. The facility is adjacent to an air force base where the uranium was stored earlier this month.

Niger’s military leadership took over French nuclear company’s Somair mine in 2024, accusing it of planning to halt operations and sell its shares without following proper procedures.

The West African nation later proceeded to remove uranium from the site despite an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute arbitration tribunal’s ruling preventing it from taking any such steps. Its actions raised concerns about radioactive material being transported by road through jihadist-controlled regions.

The attack targeted the airport area and adjacent military base that involved gunmen on motorbikes and drone strikes. An Air Côte d’Ivoire aircraft parked on the tarmac was hit, according to a statement from the carrier. The full scale of the damages or the number of casualties wasn’t immediately clear.

Agence France-Presse cited eyewitness as saying shooting began shortly after midnight and streaks of light and flames were seen several meters high. Several cars were set alight, the news agency reported.

Niger’s government “unilaterally decided to nationalize” the Somair mine in June 2025, leaving Orano without operational control, and the company is unable to comment on its activities, it said in an emailed response to questions.

A spokesperson for the state-owned Société du Patrimoine Minier du Niger, which manages the country’s interests in mining companies, didn’t respond to phone calls and a text message seeking comment. Phone calls to two government representatives and an army spokesman went unanswered.

Military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani has pivoted Niger toward Russia and cut security ties with former allies, including the US and France, since ousting President Mohamed Bazoum in a 2023 coup.

Niger also quit the regional bloc Ecowas and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in forming the Alliance of Sahel States, a military-led coalition that’s building economic and security cooperation as the three nations battle insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, that have killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands across West Africa’s Sahel region.

(By Katarina Höije)