Problematic Uranium

According to science journalist Benjamin Plackett who wrote on the 5th of September this year for Nature.com “We concluded that the scenarios with a large percentage of nuclear power, such as France’s current nuclear portfolio, have the lowest environmental impact.”, which from a purely technical point of view may appear correct, but what it is missing from this understanding and blatantly ignored by Benjamin Plackett is the environmental devastation laid to Niger by Frances open pit Uranium mines and its disregard for human life and surrounding environment.

In 2014, Greenpeace and the Research group “Independent Information on Radioactivity Commission” CRIRAD conducted studies around the areas of Airlit and Akokan and found uranium in 4 out of 5 of water samples way exceeding safe levels.

Bruno Chareyron, an engineer from the organisation said “We found evidence of radon, a radioactive gas dissolved in water”. he continues, “Regrettably, this poisoned water is still being distributed to the population and the workers for consumption.”

According to the Ministry of Solid Minerals the villagers of Garta, Futudou, Himike, Sina-Kwande Nkala and Ghumthi are dying of radiation poisoning.

But Areva the French nationally owned company responsible for operating the mines claims in the 40 years they’ve operated the mines not a single workplace illness has occurred and that the 3km surveillance stations have never picked up any radiation, making reference to their ISO 14001 certification and making comments like “Contrary to allegations made by certain NGOs or activist groups”, comments such as these do little to quell the allegations around the operation of the mines but in fact highlight their attitudes towards them, the human life and environments they’re impacting.

This is the only outcome that can be expected from French imperialism in Niger, the racist exploitation of the Niger people, their resources and the poisoning of their land and water.