\n<\/p>\n
Niger plans to nationalise a uranium mine operated by French nuclear firm Orano<\/span> as it continues to pivot away from former colonial ruler, France.<\/p>\n The company, which is 90 percent owned by the French state, said on Friday that Niger\u2019s military rulers\u2019 planned nationalisation of the Somair mine was part of a \u201csystematic policy of stripping mining assets\u201d, threatening to take legal action over the move.<\/p>\n The military government \u2013 which came to power in a 2023 coup,<\/span> pledging to review mining concessions \u2013 had said a day prior that it intended to take control of the Somair mine, accusing Orano of taking a disproportionate share of uranium produced at the site.<\/p>\n Orano holds a 63 percent stake in Somair, while Niger\u2019s state-owned Sopamin owns the remainder, but the government said that Orano had taken 86.3 percent of production between the mine\u2019s launch in 1971 and 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cFaced with the irresponsible, illegal, and unfair behaviour by Orano, a company owned by the French state, a state openly hostile toward Niger since July 26, 2023 \u2026 the government of Niger has decided, in full sovereignty, to nationalise Somair,\u201d the authorities said on Thursday.<\/p>\n Niger\u2019s military leaders have turned their back on France since taking power, seeking closer ties with Russia instead.<\/p>\n In 2024, Niger removed Orano\u2019s operational control of its three main mines in the country: Somair, Cominak and Imouraren, which has one of the largest uranium deposits in the world.<\/p>\n On Friday, Orano said it intended \u201cto claim compensation for all of its damages and assert its rights over the stock corresponding to Somair\u2019s production to date\u201d.<\/p>\n Orano, which has been operating in Niger for 50 years, is involved in several arbitration processes with the country.<\/p>\n Last month, it sued the Nigerien authorities after the disappearance of its director and the raiding of its local offices.<\/p>\n Niger\u2019s decision to nationalise Somair comes amid a wave<\/span> of mine nationalisations across West Africa, notably in Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are governed by military governments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWave of nationalisations<\/h2>\n