TRIPOLI: More than two tonnes of natural uranium reported missing by the UN’s nuclear watchdog in war-scarred Libya have been found, a general in the country’s east said on Thursday. IAEA inspectors on Tuesday found that “10 drums containing approximately 2.5 tonnes of natural uranium in the form of uranium ore concentrate... were not present” as previously declared at the location, it said. It is used in the preparation of nuclear fuel for reactors, and can also be enriched for use in nuclear weapons. On Facebook, Mahjoub said that after the inspection revealed the disappearance, Haftar-linked forces recovered the containers. Libya under Kadhafi had a suspected nuclear weapons programme, which it scrapped in 2003.

Source: Libya Today March 17, 2023 12:15 UTC