The coup-installed authorities in Niger have firmly rejected French accusations of “theft” involving a uranium shipment, insisting that exercising sovereignty over the country’s natural resources is lawful and cannot be described as stealing.
The response follows the launch of an investigation in Paris into the disappearance of uranium quantities from a site previously operated by French nuclear firm Orano.
Niger’s Mines Minister, Colonel Ousmane Abarchi, said that “one cannot steal what one legally owns,” while the justice minister disclosed that Orano allegedly owes 58 billion CFA francs in unpaid dues, asking pointedly, “Who stole from whom?”
The escalation comes months after Niger nationalized Somaïr, an Orano subsidiary, in June, and signaled its intention to sell uranium stocks internationally. Since taking power, Niger’s authorities have also moved to forge new partnerships with countries such as Iran and Russia.
Orano has warned against any movement of the shipment and has filed international arbitration cases against Niger. The company recently secured a court ruling blocking the sale of uranium stored at the Somaïr site, estimated to have a market value of around €250 million.
Niger remains one of the world’s key uranium producers, accounting for roughly 4.7% of global output of the strategic mineral.
