GoviEx Uranium and its subsidiary GoviEx Niger Holdings have begun arbitration proceedings against Niger alleging that the West aAfrican country’s military junta breached its legal obligations when it withdrew GoviEx’s mining rights for the Madaouela uranium property.

Vancouver, Canada-based GoviEx said in a statement that it had begun proceedings under the World Bank’s Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States – the ICSID Convention – which is designed to settle international investment disputes and which Niger ratified in 1966.

In July, Niger’s military leaders, who deposed France’s ally, president Mohamed Bazoum, in a coup in July 2023, announced the decision to withdraw mining rights for Madaouela while the Niger Council of Ministers also issued three decrees withdrawing the mining permit and abrogating the decrees granting the permit.