Libya reportedly holds uranium stockpile

13 August 2007

[Daily Telegraph, 13 August] Libya still possesses a stockpile of some 1000 tonnes of uranium oxide, worth an estimated $200 million, despite agreeing in 2003 to dismantle its nuclear program. The uranium is reportedly being stored at a military base at the desert town of Sabha. The Sabha base was linked with Libya's nuclear weapons program in a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2004. After Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi officially abandoned the program in December 2003 in return for the removal of US and European sanctions, the IAEA was supposed to oversee the country's disposal of its uranium. Industry insiders suspect that the uranium in Libya was mined in Niger and could have been acquired by Libya during the period of sanctions. The revelation that Libya has not yet complied with the international agreement to dispose of its uranium may have repercussions for its recent nuclear cooperation agreement with France.

Further information

International Atomic Energy Agency

WNA: Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries information paper

WNN: Libya and France sign nuclear desalination agreement
WNN: USA denies cooperation deal with Libya