Our Uranium Lit Europe While We Remained In Darkness – Niger’s PM At UNGA
Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine has declared an end to decades of unequal uranium trade, saying the country’s resources will now be managed by Nigeriens and for Nigeriens.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, Zeine said:
“For more than half a century, Niger’s uranium has lit the cities of Europe while our cities have remained in darkness. That injustice is now over.”
He said Niger recovered control of SOMAÏR, the country’s main uranium company, in June 2025 after nationalising it from French operator Orano, and that current production and stockpiles belong exclusively to Niger.
“The current stock belongs to our country. It does not belong to anyone, and we will sell it to all those who wish to buy,” he said, adding that sales will be done transparently and in strict compliance with nuclear non-proliferation rules.
Zeine said revenues from uranium and oil, including exports through the Niger-Benin pipeline, are now being channelled into security, agriculture, electrification and social services.
He described the Alliance of Sahel States with Mali and Burkina Faso as an irreversible shift and reaffirmed Niger’s sovereign right to freely choose its partners, naming Russia, China, Türkiye, Morocco and Togo as true friends. #Our Uranium Lit Europe While We Remained In Darkness – Niger’s PM At UNGA# EU Announces More Than €700m Aid Package for Crises Worldwide
