A large load of uranium that left the At the end of November, northern Niger has been blocked for several weeks at the airport of Niamey. This cargo created a diplomatic headache for the junta, which came to power in 2023.

In June, military authorities announced the nationalization of the Somair mine, an Orano subsidiary located in Arlit, in the north of the country. A few weeks later, they said they wanted to sell Nigerian uranium on the international market. The trucks stayed in the compound of the airport's military zone for almost a month, before to be moved in a few days in mid-January. On January 17, no more trucks was not visible.

AFP was able to see on satellite images the presence of two Russian-made Iliushin-type transport planes Il-76 between January 9 and 13 on the base's tarmac.

To identify the owner of the devices, AFP analyzed air transport tracking data, but no information concerning transport aircraft of this type has not been registered.