Niger: tensions escalate between Orano and military regime after executive’s disappearance
Tensions between French mining giant Orano and Niger’s military-led transitional government have intensified following the alleged abduction of a senior company executive. In a statement released on Tuesday, May 13, Orano denounced what it described as the “kidnapping” of its local director, Ibrahim Courmo, after a forceful raid was conducted on May 5 at the company’s offices in Niamey.
Orano France
According to Orano, Nigerien agents seized computer equipment and employees’ mobile phones during the operation. Several senior staff members were questioned, and Courmo was reportedly taken by force to the General Directorate of Documentation and External Security. Since then, his whereabouts and condition remain unknown, and Orano’s offices have been sealed off from its personnel.
Calling the raid a “violent intervention carried out without legal framework or stated justification,” the company expressed deep concern for Courmo’s safety and announced it would initiate legal action through international bodies.
This latest incident comes amid ongoing friction between the military regime and foreign investors following the July 2023 coup. Since seizing power, the transitional authorities have launched reforms aimed at regaining control over the mining sector, which has long been dominated by foreign companies, including Orano, which has operated in Niger for decades.