Niger Attack Endangered Uranium Stockpile Near Main Airport
Somair mineral treatment plant near the uranium opencast mine in the Air desert, Niger.
Photographer: Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty ImagesUnidentified attackers who staged an assault on Niger’s capital came dangerously close to a stockpile of uranium removed from French company Orano SA’s mine.
Heavy gunfire and explosions erupted near Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport early Thursday. The facility is adjacent to an air force base where Agence France-Presse reported the concentrated uranium powder, known as yellowcake, was stored earlier this month.