Nuclear news from @hntrbrkmedia: hundreds of tons of yellowcake...
Hunterbrook@hntrbrkmedia
12 views
Dec 16, 2025
~2 min read
Advertisement
1
Nuclear news from @hntrbrkmedia: hundreds of tons of yellowcake uranium are on the move in Niger.
In order to reach an export terminal in nearby Togo, Russia and Niger appear poised to move the uranium over hundreds of miles of territory occupied by jihadist groups.
In order to reach an export terminal in nearby Togo, Russia and Niger appear poised to move the uranium over hundreds of miles of territory occupied by jihadist groups.
2
Late last month, residents of Arlit, a mining town in northern Niger, watched dozens of trucks depart the SOMAÏR uranium mine, heading south.
Orano, the French nuclear company that owned the site, says it did not authorize the shipment.
Orano, the French nuclear company that owned the site, says it did not authorize the shipment.
Pagoui@ighazer
Bras de fer 🦾 État du #Niger🇳🇪 Vs #ORANO🇲🇫
Hier, 27 novembre 2025, un convoi de camions transportant des conteneurs d’uranium concentré a quitté les entrepôts de la SOMAÏR à Arlit
Destination officielle: inconnue
Destination probable: Saint-Pétersbourg🇷🇺, via le port de Lomé (Togo🇹🇬), en contournement de l’ordonnance du tribunal arbitral international (CIRDI)
Rappelons que ORANO a engagé 3 arbitrages internationaux contre l’État du Niger: 2 auprès du CIRDI à Washington et une 3ème procédure qui aurait été déposée devant la CCJA (Cour Commune de Justice et d’Arbitrage de l’OHADA).
Quoi qu’il en soit, ce bras de fer déclenché par Tiani va faire couler beaucoup d’encre et suscite déjà une vive inquiétude des grandes puissances et des observateurs internationaux à la matière. Certes, le groupe français ORANO n’est pas exempt de critiques, mais ce contournement de l'ordonnance du CIRDI pourrait avoir des conséquences mille fois plus lourdes que celles de l’affaire AFRICARD, la minuscule entreprise qui avait fait trembler l’État du Niger pour la résiliation d’un simple contrat de moins de 3 milliards de FCA destiné à la confection de passeports.
@ighazer
Hier, 27 novembre 2025, un convoi de camions transportant des conteneurs d’uranium concentré a quitté les entrepôts de la SOMAÏR à Arlit
Destination officielle: inconnue
Destination probable: Saint-Pétersbourg🇷🇺, via le port de Lomé (Togo🇹🇬), en contournement de l’ordonnance du tribunal arbitral international (CIRDI)
Rappelons que ORANO a engagé 3 arbitrages internationaux contre l’État du Niger: 2 auprès du CIRDI à Washington et une 3ème procédure qui aurait été déposée devant la CCJA (Cour Commune de Justice et d’Arbitrage de l’OHADA).
Quoi qu’il en soit, ce bras de fer déclenché par Tiani va faire couler beaucoup d’encre et suscite déjà une vive inquiétude des grandes puissances et des observateurs internationaux à la matière. Certes, le groupe français ORANO n’est pas exempt de critiques, mais ce contournement de l'ordonnance du CIRDI pourrait avoir des conséquences mille fois plus lourdes que celles de l’affaire AFRICARD, la minuscule entreprise qui avait fait trembler l’État du Niger pour la résiliation d’un simple contrat de moins de 3 milliards de FCA destiné à la confection de passeports.
@ighazer
3
The cargo appears to be uranium yellowcake, a semi-refined concentrate containing over 80% of the chemical Triuranium Octoxide. While unusable on its own, the material sits at a critical midpoint in the nuclear fuel cycle and is tightly regulated due to its strategic importance.
reuters.com/world/africa/f…
reuters.com/world/africa/f…
4
Such shipments normally involve strict oversight, secure transport, and detailed accounting. On Nov. 27, Orano said it had no information on the quantity moved, the final destination, or the security conditions of the transport.
orano.group/en/news/news-g…
orano.group/en/news/news-g…
5
But leaked documents discovered by @Linfodrome show that Niger’s government contracted over 50 trucks to transport the uranium.
linfodrome.com/economie/11600…
linfodrome.com/economie/11600…
6
Around the same time, researchers tracking Russian activity in Africa reported that a Russian Il-76 cargo aircraft landed at Agadez, near the mine, roughly a week before the convoy’s departure.
alleyesonwagner.org/2025/12/01/the…
alleyesonwagner.org/2025/12/01/the…
7
Further south, a Russian “dark fleet” bulk carrier, the Matros Shevchenko, has loitered off the port of Lomé, Togo, since mid-November. AIS data from @marinetraffic.
8
Black Sea monitor and Russian dark fleet expert @YorukIsik confirmed that the vessel is a known Russian Black Sea grain smuggling ship. Işık told Hunterbrook that the ship would be waiting for the convoy, “otherwise it does not make sense.”
Yörük Işık@YorukIsik
@aeowinpact It’s definitely Shevchenko. This is a vessel indirectly works on behalf of Russian government. The bulker is coming exceptionally from Novorossiysk. This vessel exclusively works from occupied Sevastopol. (It really transported wheat from Novorossiysk) x.com/yorukisik/stat…
9
Any overland route from Niger to Lomé would pass through parts of southwest Niger and eastern Burkina Faso controlled by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate, with Islamic State–aligned groups also active nearby.
Thomas van Linge@ThomasVLinge
Sahel 🇲🇱🇧🇫🇳🇪 MAP: The situation in the Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin as of September 2025.
This map is a joint production by @War_Mapper and myself.
This map is a joint production by @War_Mapper and myself.
10
Niger’s government has not identified a buyer or destination country.
11
The convoy, currently parked in Niamey, Niger’s capital, is awaiting its next move.
Casus Belli@casusbellii
🇳🇪🇷🇺🚨| According to several local sources, the uranium convoy has been stopped in Niamey.
Satellite images confirm the presence of a group of trucks near the airport on December 7, 2025.
This is potentially the convoy (or part of the convoy) transporting yellow cake, which is expected to arrive at the port of Lomé in the coming days/weeks.
The reason for this stop is not yet clear, although it could be a technical break to refuel the convoy and perform maintenance on the equipment.
Satellite images confirm the presence of a group of trucks near the airport on December 7, 2025.
This is potentially the convoy (or part of the convoy) transporting yellow cake, which is expected to arrive at the port of Lomé in the coming days/weeks.
The reason for this stop is not yet clear, although it could be a technical break to refuel the convoy and perform maintenance on the equipment.
