Nigerien authorities rejected any accusation of theft regarding uranium on Saturday, December 27, 2025. They emphasized that Somaïr was nationalized in June and that the extracted uranium is now under state control. The military regime, in power since July 2023, asserts its sovereignty over the country’s mineral resources.
Indeed, French justice has been investigating since mid-December the “disappearance” of a stock of uranium at the Somaïr mining site in Arlit, northern Niger. The investigation targets alleged organized theft that could benefit a foreign power. The site was previously operated by Orano before being taken over by the Nigerien state.
Orano reported in late November that a shipment of uranium, estimated at 1000 tons, had left the site without their consent. In December 2024, the group confirmed the loss of operational control over its mining activities in Niger, including Somaïr, the closed Cominak mine, and the Imouraren project, and initiated international arbitration procedures.
The uranium stocks on the site are estimated at around 1,300 tons with a value of 250 million euros.
