A court in Niger has ruled that COMINAK, a subsidiary of the French nuclear group Orano, must immediately resume decommissioning and rehabilitation work at its former uranium mining site in Arlit.
The operations had been on hold since January, prompting legal action by civil society groups.
The ruling was issued by the High Court of Arlit on Friday following a summary judgment procedure initiated by the Arlit Civil Society Coordination and the Synergy of Civil Society Organizations.
The plaintiffs challenged COMINAK’s unilateral suspension of the site rehabilitation project, demanding a swift restart due to pressing social and environmental concerns.
“The court decision confirms what we have been saying: halting this process is not just irresponsible, it is dangerous,” said a representative of the civil coalition involved in the case.
The trial, which began in May, was postponed multiple times at the request of COMINAK’s legal team.
The final hearing took place on June 13, with the verdict handed down two weeks later.
Local civil society organizations had strongly condemned the prolonged pause in remediation activities, highlighting both the socio-economic fallout and environmental hazards.
Hundreds of subcontracted and directly hired workers lost their jobs, while radioactive waste—measured in millions of tonnes—remained exposed, raising alarm among health and environmental advocates.
COMINAK, which ended uranium extraction in March 2021 after decades of operation, had initially pledged to rehabilitate the mine over ten years at an estimated cost of 125 billion CFA francs.
The January 2025 suspension raised questions about the company’s commitment to its environmental responsibilities and sparked tensions with the local community.
With the court’s decision now compelling COMINAK to fulfill its obligations, attention shifts to how quickly the company will act—and whether its response will meet the expectations of a region that has long borne the burden of uranium extraction.
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