Niger’s military-led government has seized control of the Somair uranium mine, operated by French company Orano, intensifying a prolonged dispute over resource sovereignty and further straining ties with France.

The junta, which assumed power in a 2023 coup, has escalated its campaign to take greater control of foreign-operated assets and maximise revenues from the nation’s mineral wealth.

Orano, holding a 63% stake in Somair, has encountered growing operational restrictions over the past year. A critical mining permit was revoked in June 2024, followed by export blockades that halted shipments.

These disruptions stranded 1,150 tonnes of uranium concentrate and incurred losses exceeding $200mn. Operations ceased entirely in October 2024 due to financial and logistical pressures. The company has now confirmed it has lost all operational control of the mine.

“For several months, Orano has been warning of the interference that the group has been suffering in the governance of SOMAÏR, of which it is the majority shareholder and operator in Niger,” the company announced. 

“The decisions taken at the company's board meetings are no longer being applied and, as a result, Orano is today confirming that the Nigerien authorities have taken operational control of the company. The production expenses which continue to be incurred on the site are worsening the company's financial situation with every passing day.”

The dispute is rooted in Niger’s frayed relations with France, exacerbated by Paris’ refusal to recognise the military government. Niger once supplied 15-20% of France’s uranium imports, crucial for its nuclear energy sector.

Following the coup, the France-Niger supply corridor was closed, and French troops were expelled. Nigerien officials have subjected French companies to heightened scrutiny, complicating Orano’s attempts to establish alternative export routes through Namibia or direct shipments to France.

In November, Niger’s Minister of Mines, Colonel Abarchi Ousmane, attributed the strained relations to France’s non-recognition of the junta.

"The French state, through its head of state, has declared that it does not recognise the current authorities in Niger. Does it seem possible to you that we, the state of Niger, would allow French companies to continue extracting our natural resources?" he said.

This also coincides with the junta’s reassessment of other foreign mining operations, and its plans to reform regulations to assert greater control over Niger’s resources. It is possible that, with France now sidelined, the mine may now be offered to other companies from either Russia or Turkey with more favourable terms for Niger.