The US government has approved up to $414 million in debt financing for Canadian miner Global Atomic’s Dasa uranium project in Niger, the developer said. The project, which Global Atomic describes as Africa’s highest-grade uranium deposit, could improve US access to a strategic energy resource as Niger disputes mining assets with French state-backed Orano. The financing is being viewed by people familiar with the matter as a diplomatic and commercial breakthrough after Niger’s military government, which seized power in a 2023 coup, ordered US forces to leave in 2024 and turned to Russian paramilitaries for security. The project still faces jihadist violence, political instability and difficult export logistics. Global Atomic has explored a possible northern route through Algeria and across the Sahara as coastal corridors have become riskier. Uranium was added to the US critical minerals list last year, while Orano has begun international arbitration over mining assets it lost control of in Niger.