The road into Arlit tells its own story. Long before the mines appear, the dust thickens, clinging to skin and clothing. Rusted metal frames sit where homes once stood, and water tanks are rationed carefully by families who know the desert gives them nothing freely. Yet beneath this town lies one of the world’s most strategic minerals, uranium, extracted here for more than five decades.

For residents of Arlit, uranium is not an abstract global commodity. It is the very reason their town exists and, according to local civil society groups cited by Africanews in October 2025, the reason some land no longer supports farming or grazing.

Niger’s uranium has powered nuclear reactors abroad since the early 1970s, but at home, questions about ownership, accountability, environmental safety, and fair benefit have grown louder. In late 2025, those questions moved from protest placards into state policy.

A turning point in control

Niger’s military-led government announced its decision to take control of uranium stocks from the SOMAIR mine, historically operated by the French state-backed company Orano, according to Reuters reporting in December 2025. Officials said the move was aimed at reclaiming sovereignty over a strategic resource that had long been dominated by foreign interests.

This decision marked a rare rupture in Niger’s post-independence mining history, where contractual frameworks signed decades earlier largely determined revenue flows and operational control, analysts told Reuters.

Uranium mining began in Arlit in 1971. Since then, Niger has remained one of the world’s top uranium producers, supplying between 5 and 7 per cent of global output in recent years, according to data from the World Nuclear Association. Production has averaged around 4,000 to 4,700 tonnes annually, though output has fluctuated due to security challenges and investment cycles.

Despite this scale, uranium contributes a far smaller share to Niger’s overall development indicators, with the country consistently ranking among the world’s poorest, according to United Nations Development Programme data cited by Reuters.

What communities say was lost

For communities living near the mines, the issue goes beyond contracts and exports.

“We were told mining would bring schools, hospitals, and jobs,” said a community representative from Arlit interviewed by Africanews in October 2025. “What we have instead is dust, sickness, and land we cannot use.”

Local NGOs have repeatedly raised concerns about radioactive tailings stored near residential areas, pointing to legacy waste from decades of extraction, according to reporting by Africanews and Mining.com in late 2025.

Rhamar Ilatoufegh, head of the Aghir In’Man association, said radioactive residues left from earlier mining phases remain one of the most visible dangers. He warned that wind-blown contamination continues to affect daily life, as reported by Africanews.

Village leaders between Arlit and Akokan have also criticised limited local employment and the failure of earlier development agreements, according to interviews compiled by Reuters and regional media outlets.

Foreign Operators and Official Responses

Orano has consistently rejected claims of environmental negligence, stating that its operations complied with international safety standards and Nigerien regulations, according to company statements reported by Reuters.

Following Niger’s seizure of uranium stocks, Orano warned that handling uranium concentrates outside established international frameworks could pose safety and regulatory risks, as reported by Reuters in December 2025.

The dispute has since escalated into arbitration and diplomatic tension, with France calling for respect for contractual obligations, while Niger insists on its sovereign right to control its resources, analysts told Reuters.

How Other Producers Manage Control

Experts say Niger’s challenge is not unique, but its governance framework remains weaker than that of other major uranium producers. The question is why? By contrast, Kazakhstan, which accounts for nearly 39 per cent of global uranium production, operates under a tightly regulated system that includes in-situ leaching technology, state oversight through Kazatomprom, and routine international audits, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Namibia, producing roughly 10 to 12 per cent of global uranium, enforces environmental monitoring requirements and community consultation frameworks that are embedded into mining licenses, experts told Nuclear Engineering International.

These examples highlight what Niger currently lacks: stable regulation, independent oversight, and transparent environmental enforcement.

Environmental and Health Concerns

Environmental safety remains one of the most contested aspects of Niger’s uranium story.

Nigerien authorities accused Orano of radioactive pollution in extraction zones, according to Mining.com reporting in November 2025. While Orano disputes these claims, experts cited by Nuclear Engineering International say the absence of consistent long-term health studies makes accountability difficult.

Residents in Arlit continue to report respiratory illnesses and reduced access to clean land and water, though comprehensive epidemiological data remains limited, according to Africanews.

The legacy of abandoned mines compounds the problem. Several sites closed decades ago still contain tailings that have not been fully rehabilitated, according to regional environmental assessments cited by Reuters.

Global Stakes Beyond Niger

Niger’s uranium is not just a national issue. It plays a role in global energy security. Energy analysts told Reuters that disruptions in Niger’s supply chain could affect European nuclear utilities, particularly at a time when nuclear energy is being repositioned as a low-carbon alternative in climate strategies.

As countries seek to expand nuclear capacity to meet emissions targets, the reliability and ethical sourcing of uranium has become increasingly scrutinised, according to Nuclear Engineering International.

Sustainability, Reform, and What Comes Next

While Niger’s move to reclaim control has been widely framed as an act of sovereignty, experts caution that ownership alone does not guarantee reform.

Public reporting suggests that comprehensive environmental remediation plans, independent radiation monitoring, and community health programs are still limited or unevenly enforced, according to Africanews and Reuters.

Analysts say long-term sustainability would require clear regulatory reforms, transparent revenue management, mine site rehabilitation, and credible partnerships that prioritise local welfare alongside national income.

A question larger than uranium

Niger’s confrontation with foreign mining interests reflects a deeper reckoning with its post-colonial economic structure.

At the United Nations General Assembly, Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine said decades of uranium exploitation had brought pollution and hardship while enriching foreign powers, according to Reuters reporting in December 2025. Whether Niger can turn control into tangible improvement for communities like Arlit remains the unanswered question.

For the people living beside the mines, sovereignty will not be measured in tonnes exported or contracts renegotiated, but in clean water, safe land, and futures no longer defined by extraction alone. Until those realities change, uranium will remain both Niger’s greatest strategic asset and its most enduring test.