Three Chinese oil officials are ordered to leave Niger, according to sources

Three Chinese officials involved in the oil industry have been ordered to leave Niger by the junta, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. This is the latest step taken by regional military administrations to exert more control over resources.

According to the sources, the request was made on Wednesday for the directors of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the West African Oil Pipeline Company (WAPCo), and the joint venture oil refinery SORAZ who are headquartered in Niger to resign.

One government-affiliated source said on Friday that the Chinese officials had left the country after being given 48 hours’ notice.

According to a second source close to the impacted companies, disagreements over local employees’ salaries and project timelines led to the directors’ resignation.

In a related move, Niger’s tourism ministry last week cancelled a Chinese-run hotel’s license in Niamey due to discriminatory actions.

The West African nation’s oil ministry and the military junta, which came to power in a coup in 2023, did not reply to demands for comment.

Comment inquiries were not answered by CNPC or WAPCo. It was not possible to contact SORAZ for comment.

A $400 million memorandum of agreement pertaining to the sale of crude oil from Niger’s Agadem oilfield was signed by the two parties last year.

Defense pacts between the former colonial power France and the United States have been shattered by the Niger dictatorship. Authorities also seized the Somair uranium mine owned by Orano, a French nuclear fuels firm.

Similar to this, military regimes in Burkina Faso and Mali have utilized court cases to impose more control over resources, including gold.