The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Wednesday the disappearance of some 2.5 tons of natural uranium from a deposit in Libya, according to a statement sent to AFP.
During a visit on Tuesday, inspectors from the UN body “discovered that 10 containers with approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium concentrate (“yellow cake”) were not where they had been declared by the authorities. ”. Chief Executive Rafael Grossi wrote in a report to member states.
The IAEA specifies that it will carry out “additional” verifications to “clarify the circumstances of the disappearance of this nuclear material and its current location.” No details are given about the site in question.
tensions in the country
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 plunged into a major political crisis, with rival powers settled in the East and West, an endless number of militias, mercenaries spread throughout the country, in a context 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.
Source: BFM TV
