A Paris court on Tuesday threw out a civil suit filed by two groups accusing France's state-controlled nuclear energy firm Areva of encouraging discrimination against the Tuareg people of Niger.
Alhak-n-Akal, a group representing the ethnic group in the west African desert state, and German rights group Menschenrechte 3000, made the charge against Areva executive Thierry d'Arbonneau and against the company in general.
They said Arbonneau had last October asked the French government for help to "put down" a Tuareg rebellion in the north of the former French colony, where Areva has for decades operated uranium mines.
The court said the suit was inadmissible because the two groups had failed to make it within a reasonable timeframe after the alleged incident.
Areva is the top private employer in Niger, the world's third largest producer of uranium.
The Tuareg rebels want a stake in the uranium mining that takes place on their lands, the only substantial source of foreign exchange for the landlocked nation.
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