French nuclear energy firm Areva — now operating under the name Orano — is set to face trial over the 2010 kidnapping of seven employees in Arlit, northern Niger, amid allegations of negligence and failure to ensure adequate security in a high-risk zone.
The employees — five French nationals, one Togolese, and one Madagascan — were abducted by armed men linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Three of the hostages, including French national Françoise Larribe, were released after five months, while the remaining four were freed in October 2013, more than three years later.
Magistrates ordered the trial in late September, accusing Areva of underestimating the terrorist threat in the region and failing to implement sufficient protection for its staff.
However, France’s anti-terror prosecutor’s office has opposed the ruling and filed an appeal, arguing against the need for a full trial.
Areva’s legal representatives have not commented on the recent decision, but company officials previously denied any wrongdoing, saying the firm had reached an agreement with Nigerien authorities to deploy local security forces to guard its mining sites and expatriate housing.
Lawyer Olivier Morice, representing one of the former hostages, Pierre Legrand, criticized the company’s alleged inaction despite multiple security warnings before the abductions.
“It’s unacceptable that, despite numerous warnings to Areva, nothing was seriously done to protect employees on site,” Morice said.
The case has renewed scrutiny over how foreign corporations manage safety and risk in volatile regions of Africa, especially in areas rich in uranium and other natural resources.
