A FRENCH Uranium Mining Company, Formerly Known As Areva, Is Set To Stand Trial Over Allegations Of Negligence Linked To The 2010 Abduction Of Seven Employees In Niger, Sources Familiar With The Case Told AFP.
The Company, Whose Operations Have Since Been Taken Over By Orano, Is Accused Of Underestimating The Terrorist Threat In Northern Niger, Where It Was Conducting Uranium Mining Operations.
In September 2010, Armed Militants Kidnapped Five French Nationals, A Togolese, And A Madagascan Worker In Arlit, A Region Long Plagued By Instability. Francoise Larribe, One Of The French Captives, Was Released Five Months Later, Along With The Togolese And Madagascan Hostages. The Remaining Four French Nationals Were Freed In October 2013, After The Abductions Were Claimed By A Terrorist Group Linked To Al-Qaeda.
French Magistrates Ordered The Company To Stand Trial In Late September 2025, Accusing Areva Of “Carelessness” And Failing To Implement Adequate Security Measures That Could Have Prevented The Kidnappings.
While France’s Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office Opposed The Move And Has Appealed The Decision, Lawyers Representing The Victims Argue The Company Ignored Multiple Warnings.
According To Olivier Morice, The Attorney For Former Hostage Pierre Legrand, It Was “Unacceptable To Note That Despite Numerous Warnings To Areva, Nothing Was Seriously Done To Protect Employees On Site.”
Investigations Also Revealed That The Firm Had A Security Agreement With Nigerien Authorities For Local Troops To Safeguard Its Mining Facilities And Expatriate Housing, But The Measures Allegedly Fell Short Of Addressing The Growing Militant Threat In The Area.
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