IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi informed member states that 10 containers containing about 2.5 tonnes of natural uranium in the form of UOC (uranium concentrate) "are no longer present as previously declared" in Libya . According to Reuters news agency, the above location is not under the control of the Libyan government .
The IAEA statement said it would investigate further the circumstances surrounding the removal of the nuclear fuel and its current location. However, the IAEA did not provide any details about the facility.
"The lack of information on the current location of the uranium storage tanks raises the possibility of radiological risks and nuclear security concerns," the IAEA said in a statement, adding that accessing the facility in Libya would pose complex logistical challenges.
According to the announcement of the IAEA Director General, the above discovery was the result of an inspection that was initially planned last year, but "had to be postponed due to the security situation in the area" and was finally carried out on March 14.
Workers close a container of uranium oxide. Photo: Reuters
In 2003, Libya abandoned a nuclear weapons program under late leader Moamer Kadhafi. The country had previously possessed centrifuges that could enrich uranium and had information on nuclear bomb designs, although it had made little progress toward building a bomb.
Libya has been in turmoil and political division since the fall of Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
Since 2014, political control has been divided between rival factions in the east and west. The west is controlled by the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, based in the capital Tripoli. The east is controlled by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, leader of the paramilitary force known as the Libyan National Army (LNA).
The oil-rich nation's divisions have fueled violence between armed groups, making travel from Libya across the Mediterranean unsafe.
In early 2021, the Libyan parliament approved an interim government tasked with helping prepare for general elections on December 24, 2021, a key step toward ending the decade-long crisis in the North African country. However, according to Reuters , the general election has yet to be held and its legitimacy is also disputed.
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