In Niger, how the stock of uranium coveted by Russia found itself in an impasse

For more than a month they have been lined up in a corner of air base 101, the military zone of Niamey airport. In all, thirty-four trucks, carrying two containers each, form a row clearly visible on different satellite images. On board, around 1,000 tonnes of yellow cake (uranium concentrate) produced in the Arlit mine, in northern Niger, by the French nuclear group Orano, before it was driven out by the junta of General Abdourahamane Tiani, who came to power in a coup d’état in July 2023.

At the beginning of November, several French state sources explained to Monde that they were worried about the acquisition of this stock of uranium by Russia and, above all, about its possible transport by road through areas under the control of jihadist groups. According to them, the Nigerien authorities and the Russian nuclear giant Rosatom had just concluded an agreement for the acquisition of 1,000 tonnes of yellow cake – out of the 1,400 stored in Arlit – at a price of 170 million dollars (145 million euros). A transaction denied by both parties concerned.

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