Voice of America
16 Mar 2023, 01:36 GMT+10
vienna - U.N. nuclear watchdog inspectors have found that roughly 2.5 tons of natural uranium has gone missing from a Libyan site that is not under government control, the watchdog told member states Wednesday in a statement seen by Reuters.
The finding is the result of an inspection originally planned for last year that 'had to be postponed because of the security situation in the region' and was finally carried out Tuesday, according to the confidential statement by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi.
IAEA inspectors 'found that 10 drums containing approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of UOC [uranium ore concentrate] previously declared by [Libya] ... as being stored at that location were not present at the location,' the one-page statement said.
The agency will carry out 'further activities' to determine the circumstances of the uranium's removal from the site, which it did not name, and where it is now, the statement added.
'The loss of knowledge about the present location of nuclear material may present a radiological risk, as well as nuclear security concerns,' it said, adding that reaching the site required 'complex logistics.'
In 2003, Libya under then-leader Moammar Gadhafi renounced its nuclear weapons program, which had obtained centrifuges that can enrich uranium as well as design information for a nuclear bomb, though it made little progress toward a bomb.
Libya has had little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted Gadhafi. Since 2014, political control has been split between rival eastern and western factions, with the last major bout of conflict ending in 2020.
Libya's interim government, put in place in early 2021 through a U.N.-backed peace plan, was supposed to last only until an election scheduled for December of that year that has still not been held, and its legitimacy is now also disputed.
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationAccra (Ghana) [India], July 2 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Ghana will be the first by an Indian Prime Minister...
Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 2 (ANI): After a majestic century in the first test against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, South Africa batter Lhuan-dre...
Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 1 (ANI): South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch on Tuesday became just the fourth from his country and first...
Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 1 (ANI): Following his side's win over Zimbabwe in the first Test, South African skipper Keshav Maharaj hailed...
Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 1 (ANI): A sensational century from debutant Lhuan-Dre Pretorious and an all-round performance from Corbin...
Pretoria says it is negotiating for a maximum tariff rate of 10% from Washington as a worst-case scenario ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - , Australian Federal Police (AFP) have shut down a secret drug lab in Sydney's west and seized more than 100kg...
The hypersonic weapon will be stationed in the country by the end of the year, President Alexander Lukashenko says Russia's Oreshik...
The Health Secretary accused his former party of abandoning core values in blind opposition to President Trump US Health and Human...
The Health Secretary accused his former party of abandoning core values in blind opposition to President Trump ...
A new law in Denmark subjects 18-year-old females to the draft starting July 1 Women in Denmark are now subject to conscription,...
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will oppose any agreements to end the fighting Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich...