Niger Offers Uranium for International Sale
Niger has announced the international sale of uranium produced by the SOMAIR company, which is owned by the French mining giant Orano, prior to its nationalization last June.
In a report aired by the official television channel “Télé Sahel” on Sunday evening, military council President General Abdrahmane Tchiani affirmed Niger’s “legal right to manage its natural resources and sell them to those who wish to buy them, according to market rules, and with complete independence.”
Last July, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsypliev stated that Moscow is interested in mining uranium in Niger.
Since the military council took power in 2023, Niger has turned to Russia for assistance combating terrorism, distancing itself from France, the country’s former colonizer, and accusing it of supporting separatist groups.
In 2024, Niger revoked the licenses of Orano to operate three major mines: SOMAIR, Cominak, and Imouraren, which includes one of the largest uranium deposits in the world.
According to data from the nuclear agency EURATOM, natural uranium from Niger accounted for a quarter of the supply to European nuclear power plants in 2022.
