Orphans of the Sahara

Orphans of the Sahara is a three-part documentary series, produced by Al Jazeera, and aired in January 2014. Series follows the story of the Tuareg people of the Sahara desert, from their involvement in war in Libya, fighting for Muammar Gaddafi, to their return home to crushing poverty in Mali and Niger, then as they launched a Tuareg Rebellion of 2012 for an independent country in the Sahara, Azawad.^[1] As the Northern Mali conflict escalated their dreams were crushed once again, first by al-Qaeda, then by French military intervention in Mali and Niger, with a help of military coalitions established by EU nations and US.

Areva controversy and company reaction[]

Show brought to light problems caused by French corporation Areva's mining operations on the Tuareg lands in Niger, and claims that company's uranium mining and consequent radiations causing diseases and extremely high death rate among Tuareg people, especially among children and elderly.

Soon enough Areva issued response, and Al Jazeera published it on its website, in which the company claims it submits regular reports on its environmental monitoring of water, air and soil to the Nigerien Office of Environmental Assessments and Impact Studies (BEEEI), which allegedly indicate that there is no pollution around the sites in question.^[2]

External links[]

• Orphans of the Sahara, a three-part documentary series about the Tuareg people of the Sahara desert.
• Uranium mining in Niger: AREVA responds, Al Jazeera website
• 'Orphans of the Sahara' - Behind the name, Al Jazeera English

References[]