Niger's military junta pulls plug on mining companies and UK oil firm

As Niger’s military rulers continue to assert sovereignty over its natural resources, it has cancelled concessions for three gold mining and processing companies.

The government said in a statement on Thursday that this related to concessions awarded between 2017 and 2020 to Comini, Afrior, and Ecomine.

It said the three had not “honoured" their commitments, notably to pay taxes, provide annual technical and financial reports, and respect environmental regulations.

Niger has just one active industrial gold mine, Samira, which the junta nationalised last year.

The government said it had also rejected a request by British firm Savannah Energy to extend its exploration and drilling licence in the country’s south-east.

It said the company had failed to respect an output-sharing contract covering four oil blocks which Savannah said cover about half the Agadem Rift Basin.

The company said it had recently made a major oil find there in what is Niger's main oil-producing region.

The west African country, a uranium, gold and oil producer, has been ruled by a military government since a 2023 coup.