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Associated Press
19 minutes ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Niger says it will nationalize a uranium venture operated by France's Orano
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Niger's government said Thursday it would nationalize the Somaïr uranium venture operated by French company Orano and accused it of taking a disproportionate share of the uranium produced at the site. The announcement comes as military authorities in the west African country tighten their grip on foreign companies and civil society. Tensions have simmered for months between Niger's military government and the French company, and relations between Niamey and Paris have deteriorated. 'Faced with the irresponsible, illegal, and unfair behavior by Orano, a company owned by the French state — a state openly hostile toward Niger since July 26, 2023 ... the government of Niger has decided, in full sovereignty, to nationalize Somaïr,' the authorities said in a statement. The authorities allege that Orano took a disproportionate share of the uranium produced at Somaïr. They added that the company has also been accused of other 'irresponsible actions' at the site, without elaborating. Orano did not immediately reply to The Associated Press' request for a comment. Somaïr is a joint venture between Orano and Niger's state-owned Sopamin, which operates the only active uranium mine in the country. But last year, authorities took operational control of Somaïr. They also withdrew Orano's operating permit for the Imouraren uranium mine, with reserves estimated at 200,000 tons. Orano is involved in several arbitration processes with Niger. Last month it sued the Nigerien authorities after the disappearance of its director and the raiding of its local offices. Orano has been operating in Niger, the world's seventh biggest supplier of uranium, for over 50 years and holds majority shares in three main uranium mines in Niger. Nigerien military authorities seized power in 2023 with a pledge to cut ties with the West and review mining concessions. Before that, the country was the West's major economic and security partner in the Sahel, the vast region south of the Sahara Desert that has been a hot spot for violent extremism.
Al Jazeera
38 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Thithi president!': Supporters rally for banned Ivorian opposition hopeful
Despite a heavy downpour and slippery roads, supporters of presidential candidate Tidjane Thiam poured into Abidjan's streets in the thousands on Saturday to march on the offices of the Ivory Coast electoral commission. Decked in the white and green colours of Thiam's main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the demonstrators chanted his nickname – 'Thithi president!' – in a show of support for a candidate now officially barred from the vote. Placards reading 'There's no Plan B!' flew high amid protest songs. 'We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjustified removal of President Thiam, as well as other major opposition leaders,' PDCI's executive secretary, Sylvestre Emmou, one of few people allowed through a large police barricade to submit a complaint to the commission, told his soaked compatriots. 'This is unacceptable and dangerous for peace and democracy in our country,' he said. The protests highlight rising tensions in West Africa's second-biggest economy, ahead of the October general elections that many fear could lead to violence in a country with still-fresh memories of the 2011 election-related civil war. At stake is Ivory Coast's continued stability amid a regional security crisis, but a likely fourth-term bid by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara has concerned many voters and political rivals, alongside what critics say is the government's targeted ban on opponents. Ouattara's strongest challenger, Thiam, was struck from a final list of candidates on June 4 after the electoral commission said he was ineligible to run because he'd automatically lost Ivorian citizenship when he took French citizenship in the 1980s. Although Thiam gave up his French nationality to regain his Ivorian one in February, a court ruled in May that he was not technically Ivorian when he enrolled in the electoral register in 2022. Thiam's supporters accuse Ouattara, who has led since 2011, of clearing the way for a fourth term. The last elections in 2020 were boycotted by the opposition, which argued Ouattara had reached his term limits, handing him an easy victory. In the 2015 elections, Ouattara was a clear favourite. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and his old right-hand man Charles Ble Goude have been struck off too for convictions related to the 2011 civil war. Ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who was convicted of fraud, was also removed. Ouattara will suffer illegitimacy if he runs without those four, Sylvain N'Guessan, a politics professor at the University of Bondoukou, told Al Jazeera. 'He will be seen as a candidate who had to exclude all other serious candidates to impose himself. What relationship will such a president have with the other parties, with the voters?' he said. Many Ivorians, particularly young voters, view businessman Thiam as a breath of fresh air and a departure from the divisive establishment politics that have seen power concentrated in the hands of a few. At 62, he is two decades younger than Ouattara and is related to Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the first Ivorian prime minister. Thiam was the first Ivorian student to land a place at Paris's prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in 1982, from where he was launched to top-flight firms like consulting giant McKinsey. In 1994, he returned home to take up a ministerial position that saw him launch several infrastructure projects. A military coup in 1999, however, cut short that career. In 2015, he became the first African head of Swiss bank Credit Suisse but stepped down in 2019 after an espionage scandal: a colleague accused Thiam of spying on him, although a court later cleared him of wrongdoing. In 2022, Thiam returned to the Ivory Coast and the once-ruling PDCI party. Thiam's party promises a return to the economic development that flourished under Houphouet-Boigny, who is credited with the 'Ivorian Miracle' or the rapid development that came after colonial rule. Thiam has also promised to include everyone, regardless of ethnicity or religion. 'He presents as a new leader, a new face who could lead Cote d'Ivoire differently,' N'Guessan said, adding that young Ivorians were tired of faces like Ouattara's and Gbagbo's, who are associated with turbulent politics. Critics say his international career means he's out of touch locally, but Thiam claims he is nonetheless well-loved. In an interview with the BBC in April, he accused the government of specifically targeting him with a colonial-era law he said was rarely used. Thiam pointed to Ivorian-French footballers who hold dual nationalities and play for French clubs and the Ivorian national team. 'I don't think anyone in Cote d'Ivoire believes that this is not a case of the government exploiting the legal system,' he said, referring to his removal based on nationality. 'This government has been in power for 15 years. Does it deserve five more? For me, that's what should be at the centre of the presidential campaign, not my passport,' Thiam said at the time. Al Jazeera reached out to the Ivorian government for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. A day after Thiam's supporters gathered in Abidjan, Ouattara's ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) members also rallied in Yopougon, the most populous suburb of Abidjan. Banners reading 'In Yopougon, our champion is ADO', a reference to the president's nickname, were stretched across a stage where senior party members extolled Ouattara. The gathering set the stage for the party's grand congress on June 21-22, where Ouattara is expected to officially announce his candidacy. 'There is only one road – the road of President Alassane Ouattara,' former prime minister Patrick Achi declared to the gathered crowd. Ouattara, 83, is rumoured to be half-Burkinabe. He was the target of inflammatory identity politics for years, with his rivals questioning his 'Ivoirite' and enforcing laws that disqualified him from running. When he finally won elections in 2011, Gbagbo refused to hand over power, resulting in a civil war that killed some 3,000 people. Ouattara has since amended the Ivorian constitution to allow presidential candidates with at least one Ivorian parent in a 2016 referendum. He has nurtured the country back from the brink into a flourishing economy, evident in the 7 percent average yearly growth recorded in the past decade. Then in 2020, Outtara ran in and won elections. Critics and boycotting opposition said his third-term bid was unconstitutional while Outtara argued his mandate was reset by the new constitution. Violence was reported in some areas. N'Guessan said Ivorians don't have the appetite for the immense suffering of 2011, and warned that reviving identity politics by preventing Thiam from running once again is 'dangerous'. 'We should learn the lessons to address the issue of nationality with a little more perspective,' he said. 'The same words produce the same effects, the same evils.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Nigerian court send man to 76 years in prison for internet fraud wey lead to death of UK teenager
One Federal High Court for Ikoyi, Lagos, southwest Nigeria don sentence one Olukeye Adedayo to 76 years for prison for internet fraud wey involve child pornography, sextortion, and impersonation. Justice Alexander Owoeye deliver di di judgment on Thursday, 19 June 2025, as e convict Adedayo on all 18 counts wey di Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of di Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) bring against am. Di charges, wey dem file for 2024, na on transmission of child pornography, fraudulent impersonation, and sextortion amounting to ₦721,500. Adedayo, wey bin dey operate under aliases including hrm87, charlotte708, and harlilott_716, chop accuse of creating one group on Instagram titled "Expose Janjua Robin Nudes" to distribute explicit images of minors. Though im bin pleaded not guilty, di prosecution, led by Bilikisu Buhari, bin call two key witnesses: Wahid Hamidi of di Royal Canadian Mounted Police and EFCC operative Saidu Yakubu. Dem also present for court substantial digital and documentary evidence. Justice Owoeye sentence Adedayo to two years each on counts 1–4, four years each on counts 5–14, and seven years each on counts 15–18. All sentences go run concurrently wit no option of a fine. We dey update dis tori
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
MSCI Says it Needs More Time to Assess Nigeria's Forex Reforms
MSCI Inc. said it needs more time to assess the impact of foreign exchange reforms in Nigeria, suggesting the global index provider is not yet ready to restore the West African's country's frontier-market status. Operational modifications in Nigeria's foreign exchange market have improved liquidity, but 'more time is needed to assess the impact of these changes,' MSCI said in its annual market accessibility review.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
No basketball training in US for Senegal after team's visas rejected
A training session for the Senegalese women's basketball team in the US has been scrapped, with the West African nation's prime minister saying he cancelled it because some of the squad were denied US visas. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the team would now train in Senegal's capital, Dakar, "in a sovereign and conducive setting". It comes amid reports that the US plans to impose fresh travel restrictions on 25 more African countries, including Senegal. Earlier this month the US announced a ban on citizens from 12 countries, including seven from Africa. There were also partial travel restrictions on nationals from a further seven countries, with three from Africa. It remains unclear why the Senegalese athletes were denied visas, as the US Embassy is yet to publicly comment on the matter. "Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women's national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America," Sonko said on Thursday in a statement shared to social media. Reports say five Senegalese basketball players and 13 team officials were travelling to meet other members of the squad and their coach who were already in the US, to warm up for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Ivory Coast next month. But their visa applications were not approved. Chad halts US visas in revenge for Trump travel ban Trump's tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pact The visa refusals are raising eyebrows because, according to the recently leaked diplomatic cable containing details of the extended travel restrictions, targeted countries were given up to 60 days to address the concerns raised by the US. These reportedly include people overstaying their visas, lack of co-operation with deportations, links to terror attacks in the US, anti-semitism or anti-American activity. Following the reported new travel restrictions, Senegal's foreign ministry urged nationals to comply with their permitted periods of stay in the US. Although it did not directly comment on Senegal's possible inclusion in the latest list of restricted countries, the government statement underscored that diplomatic and consular services were working in close collaboration with the US administration. Meanwhile, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yussuf Tuggar said the expanded travel bans could impede possible energy and rare earth mineral deals which West African countries can offer the US. The Trump administration insists national security concerns and the high rate of visa overstays from some countries must be addressed. Additional reporting by Natasha Booty Why Baye Fall Muslims worship through work and community Born in France but searching for a future in Africa Senegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
