France’s financial prosecutor has opened an investigation into the suspected theft of uranium from Niger, escalating a dispute between Paris and the West African country’s military rulers over control of strategic natural resources once operated by French nuclear fuel group Orano.

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed it is probing allegations of organised gang theft committed “in the interests of a foreign power” after uranium went missing from a site in northern Niger previously operated by Orano, formerly Areva.

RFI reports that the complaint was filed on 18 August, before reports emerged of uranium being transported from the site, and comes amid a wider legal battle following Niger’s nationalisation of Orano-linked assets.

The dispute centres on the Somaïr uranium mine in Arlit, which Orano operated until June 2024, when the ruling junta took control nearly a year after seizing power in a coup. Orano says close to 1,600 tonnes of uranium concentrate, produced while it still ran the mine, were stockpiled there with an estimated market value of $310 million.

A French court ruled in September that the Nigerien state had no right to sell, transfer or facilitate the transfer of uranium produced by Somaïr prior to nationalisation.

Uranium dispute triggers criminal investigation in France

French prosecutors are examining whether the movement of uranium breached court orders and laws governing strategic materials, with investigators assessing potential involvement by foreign state or commercial actors.

The classification of the case reflects concerns over national security, given uranium’s role in nuclear energy and medical treatments, and places the probe under France’s specialised financial and security crime jurisdiction.

The investigation predates reports that uranium convoys left Arlit in late November. According to West African security journalists at Wamaps, about 1,000 tonnes of non-enriched uranium were transported south in dozens of trucks, some of which were later spotted near Niamey airport.

AFP confirmed through satellite imagery that 34 lorries arrived at the airport area between 3 and 5 December and remained there weeks later. Orano says it does not know the quantity moved, the destination, or the identity of potential buyers.

Niger’s junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has defended plans to sell the uranium, arguing it belongs to the Nigerien people and signalling a shift toward partners such as Russia or Iran. Moscow has publicly expressed interest in Niger’s uranium sector.

However, the World Bank’s arbitration body had prohibited Niger from trading uranium from the Somaïr mine, seized from Orano by the junta.

The case mirrors tensions in neighbouring Mali, where a judge recently ordered the return of three metric tonnes of gold worth about $400 million seized from Barrick Gold’s Loulo-Gounkoto complex.#

While Mali’s ruling eased pressure on a foreign miner, Niger’s uranium dispute has intensified, highlighting how Sahel military governments are increasingly reshaping relations with Western mining (Business Insider Africa)