Recent data circulated on social media showed an increase in activity around Air Base 101 in the capital, Niamey, where a convoy transporting a shipment of “yellowcake” (uranium concentrate) coming from the Arlit mines in the north of the country has been stationed for more than a month.
According to circulated satellite images, two IL-76 cargo planes were spotted inside the air base, which raised speculation about the possibility of transporting the uranium shipment by air instead of the originally planned land route.
Experts point out that the IL-76 plane cannot transport more than 40 tons per flight, which means about 25 flights are needed to transport the entire cargo estimated at about 1,000 tons, at a total cost ranging between 3 and 5 million dollars.
In this context, reliable information confirmed that one of the two IL-76 planes left Niamey heading to Benghazi in Libya during the night of January 12-13. The Flight Radar website also reported that a giant AN-124 cargo plane, bearing the number RA-82037, had carried out several flights since the beginning of this year between Russia and Benghazi, passing through the Syrian city of Latakia. This aircraft has a capacity of up to 120 tons of payload, which makes it more suitable for transporting large shipments of this type.
However, specialists confirm that transporting the entire quantity by air from Niamey to Russia may take several weeks, in addition to the fact that the risks associated with air transport of uranium are radically different from those associated with land transport.
These developments come at a time when Niger is facing a severe liquidity crisis, while reports indicate that the Russian side is not showing great severity regarding the source of the material, despite the existence of an existing legal dispute over the ownership of this shipment of “yellow cake.”
In parallel, Niger is holding discussions with the Canadian company Global Atomic to open a second uranium mine in the Dassa region, in addition to another project by the Canadian company GoviEx in Madawila, but its license is still pending.
