France confirms 5 nationals kidnapped in Niger
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The French Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that five French nationals were among those abducted in Niger during the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
"According to our information, seven people, including five French employees of (French companies) Areva and Satom were abducted in the Arlit region in Niger," ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.
Earier in the day, French media reported a group of French working for French nuclear power group Areva and construction firm Satom, were kidnapped in north Niger, near uranium mines in Arlit overnight Wednesday.
Two hostages were confirmed by Areva as its staff working in the region, while the others were said to be staff of Satom, an affiliate of French Vinci, a world leading construction and engineering group.
"All efforts of the state have been fully mobilized, especially the Foreign Ministry's Crisis Center and our embassy in Niamey," Valero said.
Niger government spokesman Laouali Dan Dah said at least five people had been kidnapped overnight and the authority had taken measures, "by police and the military," to trace the kinappers and rescue the hostages.
Arlit in the Sahara region is located about 1,200 kilometers northeast of Niamey, the capital of Niger, and is known for large uranium mines there. Areva operates a major uranium mining project in the region.
Areva employees working in Niger have been abducted in the past. In 2008, the company announced the release of four of its employees -- all French nationals -- who had been kidnapped by a rebel group, the Movement for Justice, which opposes the mining of ancestral lands.
However, French media claim the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which has roots in the region, is the prime suspect in the latest kidnappings. AQIM is notorious for kidnaps targeting westerners in the southern Sahel region.
In July, 78-year-old French aid worker Michel Germaneau was excuted in Mali by the al-Qaeda's north African branch three months after his capture.
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