NIAMEY After the kidnapping of seven expatriates in mid-September, Niger has beefed up its military presence in the north, but one of the world's poorest countries faces a huge challenge tackling Al Qaeda.

The mining town of Arlit — where Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Sept 16 kidnapped five French nationals, a Madagascan and a Togolese - is now under tight military surveillance, residents said.

Arlit lies in the desert 800kms northeast of Niamey and has become a home base for staff of the French nuclear giant Areva, which mines uranium there. The kidnap victims included an Areva staffer and his wife and five workers for Satom, a subsidiary of construction giant Vinci.

“Soldiers riding 4x4 vehicles are stationed at different strategic points

hospitals, shops and places of entertainment,” said a civil servant who added that troops were also “patrolling the town and the residences where expatriates and local workers for Areva live.” The government, which has reached an agreement with the French company after ironing out differences, is keen to show that uranium mining, which is the vast west African nation's main source of income, can go on.

Areva, which swiftly evacuated its expatriate personnel after the kidnaps, now plans to return some foreign staff “in coming weeks”, according to press reports.

But the country remains confronted with the threat of armed groups, said Nigerien journalist Moussa Aksar, who believes “they're trying to turn Niger into a bridgehead for Al Qaeda in the Sahel.” AQIM claimed responsibility for its first raid in Niger at the end of 2008 when it kidnapped two Canadian diplomats, who were freed in April 2009.

A year later, Frenchman Michel Germaneau was kidnapped, before being executed last July after French troops failed to rescue him during a raid against AQIM in neighbouring Mali.

Niger's army consists of some 5,300 men, with roughly the same number of paramilitary personnel. AQIM killed a dozen soldiers in attacks late in 2009 and early this year. In addition to a small defence force, the country also has long, porous desert borders and has been politically unstable.

“With its lack of logistical means and intelligence resources, Niger is the weak underbelly of the Sahel,” said a Tuareg official who is well-informed on security issues.—AFP