A French uranium company, Orano, has sounded the alarm after losing contact with its representative in Niger amid growing tensions.
On Monday, Nigerien law enforcement reportedly raided the offices of Orano’s subsidiaries—Somair, Cominak, and Orano Mining Niger—in the capital, Niamey.
The company said equipment was seized during the operations, deepening concern over its increasingly fragile position in the uranium-rich country.
“We are very worried about the situation,” Orano stated, noting that contact with its local representative had been completely severed.
Orano, formerly state-run and still a major uranium player, admitted it lost operational control of its Niger subsidiaries in late 2024.
The firm, holding at least a 60 percent stake in the entities, said its understanding of events on the ground is now severely limited.
Tensions have mounted between France and Niger since a military coup in 2023 shifted the country’s political landscape and foreign alliances.
The uranium industry, once a cornerstone of Franco-Nigerien cooperation, has become a flashpoint in the worsening diplomatic fallout.
Orano has launched two international arbitration cases against Niger’s military government, seeking redress over its disrupted operations.
At the heart of the dispute lies a stockpile of 1,300 tonnes of uranium—worth nearly $300 million—stranded at the Somair site.
As diplomatic ties continue to fray, Orano’s future in Niger hangs in the balance, caught in the storm of geopolitical upheaval.
The company’s latest plea underscores growing fears that political volatility could threaten key energy supply chains in West Africa.
