Niger’s uranium nationalisation shakes indebted France

Niger’s uranium nationalisation shakes indebted France

For half a century, Niger's plains fed France's atomic dreams. The uranium pulled from the ground there lit Paris' streets, powered its factories, and gave France the illusion of energy independence. Now, with one decree, Niger's junta has severed the cord, and France, already mired in debt, finds itself scrambling to keep the lights on. In the days before his government collapsed, François Bayrou, then the French prime minister, stood before Pa…