Case of the Arlit hostages: Areva indicted for "involuntary injuries"

The photo shows the logo of Orano, the new name of Areva, taken in front of the group's headquarters in the business district of La Défense in Courbevoie, near Paris, on January 23, 2018. AFP - ERIC PIERMONT

Text by: RFI Follow

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Areva was indicted on Monday May 30, 2022 for "unintentional injuries" in the Arlit hostage case.

Information revealed this Thursday by AFP and

.

Five French, a Malagasy and a Togolese were kidnapped in Niger in 2010 by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, before being released 5 months later for three of them, in 2013 for the other 4.

The French nuclear giant, now called Orano, has committed several faults, according to the anti-terrorism investigating judge, and he is partly responsible for this kidnapping. 

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Since 2009, kidnappings of Westerners in Niger and Aqmi's threats against French interests had multiplied, but Areva underestimated the terrorist risk, estimates the investigating judge in charge of the case since 2013.

The French nuclear giant did not properly protect its employees who lived on site.

And this, despite the multiple warnings concerning the threat of attacks, underlines the magistrate.

🔵 INFO THE PARISIAN |

Twelve years after the attack by jihadists on a uranium mining site where seven employees, including five French, had been kidnapped, justice has indicted Areva for having underestimated the jihadist threathttps://t .co/g3Sv8EJqvE

– The Parisian (@le_Parisian) June 2, 2022

The French intelligence services had sounded the alarm.

And as early as 2008, the defense attaché at the French embassy pointed out the failing security of the Arlit site.

Housing, in particular, was watched by Tuaregs, employees of private companies, unarmed.

No alert system or fallback base was planned in the event of a problem.

Areva, for its part, affirms that its security system was solid.

It was its implementation that was flawed.

This is what his legal director explained during his interrogation.

She also confirmed that Areva and Vinci, one of its subcontractors, paid more than 42 million euros to free the hostages.

The group declined to comment on his indictment.

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Ex-hostages of Arlit: the underside of a release 

From Arlit to Kidal: the double investigation

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