Vienna (Austria): About 2.5 tons of natural uranium have gone missing from a site in Libya, the UN nuclear agency said on Wednesday. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), informed the members of the organization about the disappearance of 10 drums of uranium ores. The inspectors informed the agency on Tuesday. The IAEA issued a statement saying that it would investigate and try to clarify the circumstances.
According to the report of the news agency AFP, IAEA inspectors who visited the site not controlled by the government found that about 10 drums of uranium ie 2.5 tons of natural uranium had gone missing. In 2003, Libya made plans to develop nuclear weapons under its long-time former dictator Moamer Gaddafi. Since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, the North African country has been mired in a political crisis, pitted against coalitions backed by myriad foreign powers. It is divided between an interim government in the capital Tripoli in the west, and another backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
Gaddafi has found some peace in Libya since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising. Since 2014, political control has been divided between rival eastern and western factions. The organization has refused to give more details. However, expressing concern over this loss, he said that it is a serious issue for nuclear security.
