Arlit used to be a prosperous town, attracting European tourists as well as many local youth with the opportunity to work in the uranium mines. After terrorist attacks in 2013 destroyed the tourism industry, the region was dealt another blow in 2014 when mining operations slowed significantly due to plummeting worldwide uranium prices, labor disputes, and renegotiations of mining contracts with the government. Foreign mining companies in Niger laid off thousands of young workers.
Karimou Karidjo, a 29-year-old farmer from the Tillabéri region of Niger, has had difficulty supporting his wife and four children due to poor harvests.
“I have to find food for my children. To do so, I collect and sell wood, but even then it is difficult to put food on the table,” he says.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.