Post #547

Gift for Marcon: What is Tiani Proposing Sending Back to France? Niger’s leader has decided to take France on an emotional rollercoaster. ☢️ After accusing Paris of backing attacks on Niamey’s airport and threatening war, Abdourahamane Tiani now claims in an interview that Niger is ready to return the uranium confiscated from the Frenchfirm Orano— promising to send even more than it had ever extracted. ⏩ On Friday, February 13, Nigerien president Tiani essentially offered to return France’s share of uranium — 63.4% (Orano’s stake in the SOMAIR mine, the heart of the row) — amounting to 95,000 tons out of the 156,231 tons allegedly mined in Niger. ⏩ The number seems plucked out of thin air. Previous disputes between Niger and France’s Orano only mentioned 1,000–1,500 tons of uranium stocks under Niger's control. Even if Orano had never exported its uranium and left it all in Niger, 156,000 tons would still be impossible — at SOMAIR it had produced just 82,000 tons since 1971. ❗️ Most likely, Tchiani meant the sum of total outputs of SOMAIR and another mine, COMINAK (which the French also operated until the early 2020s) — though most of their production was shipped abroad long ago. While this could be seen as a signal for negotiation and an end to the uranium saga, offering the Élysée Palace 156,000 tons of uranium that doesn’t even exist in Niger sounds less like a serious proposal and more like a mockery — one that is unlikely to have any real consequences. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow