The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday (March 16) reported the disappearance of approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium from a site in Libya, without giving further details of the site where the material should have been. .
During a visit on Tuesday, inspectors from the UN body “ discovered that ten containers with about 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium concentrate (“yellowcake”) were not present where they were declared by the authorities ”, wrote director general Rafael Grossi in a report to member states.
The IAEA specifies that it will carry out checks “ complementary ” For “ clarify the circumstances of the disappearance of this nuclear material and its current location “. No details are given on the site in question.
Libya abandoned its nuclear weapons development program in 2003 under the aegis of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Since its fall in 2011 after 42 years of dictatorship, the country has been mired in a major political crisis, with rival powers based in East and West, a myriad of militias, mercenaries scattered around the country, against a backdrop of foreign interference.
Two governments are vying for power: one based in Tripoli (west) and recognized by the UN, the other supported by the strongman of eastern Libya, Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
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(With AFP)