The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Wednesday that around 2.5 tonnes of natural uranium were missing from a site in Libya. Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear agency, informed member states that during an inspection on Tuesday, it was discovered that 10 drums containing uranium ore concentrate were not present at the location as previously declared by Libya. The IAEA intends to conduct further investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the nuclear material and its current location, though no details were provided about the site.
The inspection was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed due to security concerns in the area. Finally, it took place on Tuesday, according to a statement by Grossi. In 2003, Libya abandoned a program to develop nuclear weapons under former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It obtained centrifuges capable of enriching uranium as well as design information for a nuclear bomb. The country has been in political turmoil since Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011, with various militia groups forming opposing alliances backed by foreign powers.
An interim government was placed in the country through a UN-backed peace plan in early 2021, but it was only intended to last until an election scheduled for December of that year, which has still not occurred, and its legitimacy is now in question.
Adapted from WIONews