UN inspectors visiting southern Libya confirmed the presence of containers of natural uranium that were reported missing and later discovered by military forces, the United Nations nuclear agency announced on Saturday.
In early March, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported the disappearance of about 2.5 tons of natural uranium stored in the southern Libyan town of Sabha.
Days later, General Khaled al-Mahjoub, commander of the communications arm of the Libyan National Army (LNA), a force controlled by eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, said the containers had been found less than five kilometers from where they were were stored in the Sebha region, in the south of the country.
Last Saturday, the IAEA said inspectors from this agency visited the area on March 21 and confirmed the presence of natural uranium, though they admit a “relatively small amount” has not yet been accounted for.
The agency added that there was no immediate radiation risk at the site and that its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, had already informed member states of this discovery on Friday.
Natural uranium cannot be used immediately for energy production or bomb fuel, as the enrichment process normally requires the metal to be converted to a gas and then modified to reach the required levels.
The LNA believes the containers were stolen before being abandoned by a military faction operating in Chad, who believed the structures contained weapons or ammunition.
Several military factions from Chad and Sudan have operational bases in southern Libya close to the border, facilitating the organization of illegal operations.
The material dates back to the government of the late dictator Moammar Gaddafi, who stockpiled thousands of containers of natural uranium for a facility that was never built and was intended for his secret weapons program.
The IAEA estimates that Libya held about 1,000 tons of natural uranium during the Gaddafi era.
Source: DN
