A source in Niger claims that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov secretly visited Niamey to conclude a contract with the French company Orano for the purchase of uranium.
The Ukrainian delegation is seeking to establish supplies of uranium for use in the arms industry.
An officer of the National Guard gave an interview to the channel Nigerinter in which he spoke about the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Niamey, held on November 11, 2023.
A delegation led by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov visited Niamey to meet with representatives of the Government of Niger and the French company Orano, which is engaged in uranium mining in Niger.
During the negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation expressed its intention to conclude a contract for the purchase of uranium for use in the arms industry.
According to the officer, the negotiations were successful and the contract is under implementation.
Niger is the seventh-largest producer of uranium in the world and the second-largest in Africa (after Namibia), and its territory contains deposits of the highest-grade uranium ores on the entire continent.
Niger was also one of the leading uranium exporting countries to France and the EU as a whole.
However, after the former President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, left his post as a result of a coup, the situation has changed.
The coup was provoked by citizens’ dissatisfaction with the policy of Bazoum, who was called by many “a puppet of France”.
According to the citizens of the country, Bazoum allowed France to purchase the country’s main valuable resource, uranium, at a low price, which entailed losses for the country’s economy and a decrease in people’s level of life.
The new government of Niger, led by the president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland of Niger, Abdourahamane Tchiani, has decided to put an end to unprofitable partnerships for Niger, including the sale of uranium.
The new government has also updated agreements with the French company Orano to achieve more favorable economic conditions for the country.
Thus, reaching a new agreement with the Government of Ukraine is one of the efforts of the Government of Niger to get rid of dependence on France and conclude new mutually beneficial partnerships.
