French mining firm to be tried over Niger abductions

Nuclear energy giant Areva, whose activities have since been taken over by Orano, has been accused of underestimating the threat of the Al-Qaeda jihadist group in the northern area of Niger where it was mining.

In 2010, armed men abducted seven Areva employees -- five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan -- in Arlit in northern Niger.

One of the French captives, Francoise Larribe, was released five months later along with the Madagascan and Togolese nationals.

The four other hostages were only released in October 2013, shortly after their detention was claimed by Al-Qaeda's North African branch, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Magistrates ordered the trial in late September, accusing the French firm of carelessness and not implementing enough security measures, leading to its staff being taken hostage, the sources said.

France's anti-terror prosecutor's office was against a trial and has appealed the decision, a judicial source said.

The group's lawyer declined to comment, but the head of the firm's legal department in 2022 denied any wrongdoing.

An investigation revealed that the group had signed a deal with Nigerien authorities for local troops to protect their mining sites, as well as the housing and movements of expatriate staff.

Olivier Morice, a lawyer for one of the former hostages Pierre Legrand, said it was "unacceptable to note that despite numerous warnings to Areva, nothing was seriously done to protect employees on site".