French state-owned company 'poisoning' poor

Recent research by Greenpeace suggests that French state-owned company Areva's public claims of decontamination of populated areas near uranium mines in Niger are false. High radio-activity persists in towns and rural areas near the mines, affecting some 80,000 people. When uranium was discovered in the impoverished West African state in the 1960s, many thought that the radioactive mineral–indispensable as combustible for nuclear power plants and raw material for nuclear bombs–would be the panacea for all the social and economic afflictions haunting the former French colony. Instead, as several recent reports by environmental organisations and independent researchers show, Niger's uranium mines constitute a deadly gift for the country, both for its public health and its politics. Today, Niger is considered the poorest country in the world. It ranks last in the Human Development Index, and it is confronting a political crisis caused by allegations of corruption and environmental conflicts -- all linked to the uranium mines (see part two of this article). According to a report that the global environmental organisation Greenpeace released on Mar 30, high radioactivity can still be detected on the ground near the Nigerien uranium mines, especially in the mining towns of Arlit and Akokan, some 850 km northeast of the capital Niamey.