France's Orano files lawsuit over staff detention in Niger
French uranium miner Orano said on Tuesday it had filed a lawsuit with the Niger courts over the "arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and unjust confiscation of property" involving its staff and assets in the country. Niger and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have been stepping up pressure on foreign mining companies over the past year, seizing assets and removing permits as all three Sahel countries look to assert more sovereignty over their natural resources.
French uranium miner Orano said on Tuesday it had filed a lawsuit with the Niger courts over the "arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and unjust confiscation of property" involving its staff and assets in the country. Niger and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have been stepping up pressure on foreign mining companies over the past year, seizing assets and removing permits as all three Sahel countries look to assert more sovereignty over their natural resources.
