UNIDENTIFIED assailants launched an assault on Niger’s capital that brought them perilously close to concentrated uranium powder stored at a military facility adjacent to Niamey’s international airport.
Heavy gunfire and explosions erupted near Diori Hamani International Airport early Thursday at a location where yellowcake uranium from French company Orano’s mine had been stockpiled, said Bloomberg News citing an earlier report by Agence France-Presse.
Defence Minister Salifou Modi confirmed at least 20 attackers were killed, with 11 others wounded and detained. Four members of Niger’s security forces sustained injuries. No group has claimed responsibility for the raid, which involved gunmen on motorbikes and drone strikes, said Bloomberg News.
Aircraft from Air Côte d’Ivoire and two Asky Airlines planes positioned on the tarmac suffered damage during the offensive, which commenced shortly after midnight. Witnesses reported seeing flames several metres high and multiple vehicles ablaze.
Niger’s military government seized control of Orano’s Somair mine in 2024, alleging the French nuclear company intended to cease operations and divest shares without following proper protocols, said Bloomberg. Authorities subsequently removed uranium from the site despite an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes tribunal ruling prohibiting such action, raising concerns about radioactive material travelling by road through jihadist-controlled territories.
The government nationalised the operation in June 2025, leaving Orano without operational oversight.
Military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani, who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023, has reoriented Niger towards Russia whilst severing security relationships with Washington and Paris. Niger withdrew from regional bloc Ecowas and joined Mali and Burkina Faso in establishing the Alliance of Sahel States.
Tiani credited Russian partners for enabling forces to defeat attackers within 20 minutes.
