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Earlier this year the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi reported that about 2.5 tonnes of uranium ore concentrate had gone missing from a site in Libya. This was arguably one of the largest quantity of uranium ore concentrate that had ever been misplaced.

Barely a day after the IAEAs announcement, General Khaled Mahjoub of the self-styled Libyan National Army said the uranium ore had been found about 5km from the warehouse where it had been stored. A week later, the IAEA, which had been monitoring the stockpile occasionally, confirmed that most of the uranium ore concentrate had been found.

Uranium ore concentrate, popularly known as yellowcake, is a type of uranium concentrate powder obtained after uranium ore has been milled and chemically processed. Yellowcake has very low radioactivity, equivalent to the radioactivity of uranium ore found in nature, and it is produced by all countries where uranium ore is mined.

Yellow cake is further processed to become enriched uranium, which is used to manufacture the fuel for nuclear reactors. However, enriched uranium can also be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. If the technology were available, the 2.5 tons of missing yellowcake would have been half the amount required for a nuclear bomb.

Nuclear material experts had said the Libyan uranium ore concentrate in case posed no significant security risk as it required prohibitively sophisticated processing capabilities before it can be suitable for civil or weapons use.

Nevertheless, the news of missing Libyan uranium ore concentrate did highlight serious problems with the national and global governance structures for managing uranium.

Based on my experience in nuclear non-proliferation and politics, I believe that the missing Libyan uranium debacle illustrates two things.

Firstly, it illustrates the dangers of a IAEA that doesnt have enough resources to monitor uranium ore stockpiles, especially in countries with unstable regimes. And faced with more pressing issues such as the safety and security of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, the IAEA wont prioritise yellowcake storage.

Secondly, many African countries still struggle to implement nuclear safety and security governance provisions.

Libya has been unstable since the fall of Muammar Gaddafis regime in 2011. This plunged the country into a civil war that has destabilised the North African and the Sahel regions, as Libya lost control of the largest and most diverse military arsenals in the region.

Much of this arsenal eventually fell into the hands of various non-state actors. Among them were Boko-Haram which mounted a reign of terror in northern Nigeria, and Ansar Al-Sharia in Tunisia.

Gaddafi had amassed stockpiles of nuclear material and technology as he sought to develop nuclear weapons. He had help from Abdul Qadeer Khan, who had been identified as a key facilitator for the global smuggling of nuclear material and technology.

Gaddafi eventually abandoned the weapons program in 2003, after months of secret disarmament negotiations with the US and British.

Following this deal, the US airlifted about 25 metric tonnes of Libyas nuclear weapon programme components and documents. The last of Libyas enriched uranium was removed in 2009. But there remained in Sabha, the southern Libyan city, about 6400 barrels of uranium ore concentrate. Its this material that was under the control of an army battalion.

Olli Heinonen, a former Deputy Director of the IAEA, has since explained that it would have been very costly to airlift the remaining concentrate. He also said there were incentives for Libyans to holding onto the concentrate until the spot price of uranium was high enough for profitable export.

Though the missing 2.5 tonnes of uranium have been recovered, questions remain: Why did 2.5 tonnes go missing in the first place? Who would have wanted to acquire it?

Mahjoubs speculation was that a group from Chad raided the warehouse in search of conventional weapons. But Heinonens explanation was that a black market seller could have stolen the concentrate to show it to a prospective buyer.

Both explanations raise more concerns about how secure Libyas cache and nuclear materials are. This, despite various mechanisms that have been put in place since the early 2000s in response to a CIA warning that Al-Qaeda could possibly develop a crude nuclear device. The agency also said the organisation had access to nuclear expertise and facilities.

The UN proposed a number of measures aimed at curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors. These included the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. There was also the IAEA Additional Protocol which allowed for more intrusive inspections of nuclear sites.

Theres also the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty - the Pelindaba Treaty - which came into force in July 2009.

The Pelindaba treaty establishes the African Commission on Nuclear Energy to ensure compliance with the stipulations of the treaty. Article 10, for example, provides for extensive oversight of nuclear materials on the continent.

Libya is a signatory to all these conventions. But reality is that, in the absence of a stable and competent government in Libya, international and regional authorities must fill the nuclear governance vacuum.

The IAEA has decried its limited resources. This was long before Moscows invasion of Ukraine which demanded the agencys attention.

African countries should invest in regional nonproliferation mechanisms, such as the African Commission on Nuclear Energy, whose responsibilities include the promotion of safe and secure peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as a complementary confidence building measure.

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Originally posted here:
Libya lost, then found, 2.5 tonnes of uranium - a red flag for nuclear safety - The Conversation

In 2022, 27,400 explosive ordnances were removed in Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi and Sirte, revealed the U.N. Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Monday.

More than 1 million explosive remnants of war (ERW) which includes 82% projectiles and 4% small arms ammunitionhave been removed in Libya since 2011.

Khaled Alwadawi, who has spent the last seven years working with the UN Mine Action Service leading Libya Mine Action Services awareness work as Head of the Risk Education Section, said he and and his team have facilitated training for over 300,000 children, 125,000 men and 71,000 women across Libya in risk awareness since 2011.

In the first few years of his tenure at the Libya Mine Action Service Alwadawi says most accidents were caused by munition with mines being rare. But after the conflict in Sirte in 2016, there was a clear rise in the number of accidents from mines. This then dropped again, until recent conflicts in Tripoli have seen injuries from mines and wider munitions increase once again.

He recounts the sleepless night he spent with colleagues following the return of civilians to southern Tripoli on 22 May 2019 after the conflict that April. The team were unable to speak to the approximately 250,000 citizens ahead of their return, and unlike their previous successful work in Sirte where they worked with officials to close the city and educate the population, people returned to Tripoli while it was still littered with munitions. Many people were injured.

We couldnt stop the return. It was beyond us he says, calling it the worst day of his career. We were blamed for the accidents, when could do nothing to prevent people returning. Libya is a highly contaminated country, and we shouldnt underestimate the danger, he adds.

Read more:
UN: 27400 explosive ordnances removed in Libya during 2022 - Libya Update

Some of the refugees were from Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, a Libyan coast guard officer said.

At least 57 bodies have washed ashore after two boats sank in the Mediterranean Sea off different towns in western Libya, a coast guard officer and an aid worker have said.

A survivor said there were about 80 passengers on one of the boats that set off for Europe at around 2am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Eleven bodies, including that of a child, were recovered off Qarabulli in eastern Tripoli, said coast guard officer Fathi al-Zayani. The refugees were from Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, he said.

A Red Crescent aid worker in the coastal city of Sabratha, west of Tripoli, said authorities had recovered 46 bodies since a boat sank off Libyas coast five days ago.

The latest toll follows the recovery of 11 bodies on Monday, which were handed over to authorities in Sabratha, the Red Crescent confirmed on Facebook.

Pictures were posted online by the Sabratha Red Crescent agency showing bodies in black bags being placed at the back of pick-up trucks by the aid workers wearing face masks and gloves.

The aid worker said more bodies were expected to be washed up in the coming days.

The International Organization for Migration said this month that 441 people had drowned in early 2023 while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe, the most deaths over a three-month period recorded in the past six years.

The central Mediterranean route remains the worlds deadliest migratory sea crossing.

More than a decade of violence in Libya, following the fall and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, helped turn the North African country into fertile ground for people-trafficking gangs, who have been accused of abuses ranging from extortion to slavery.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused authorities and armed groups operating under state auspices of torture and other abuses.

Neighbouring Tunisia has also seen a sharp risein attempted crossings.

Italy has rescued 47 boats carrying around 1,600 migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea in the last two days and brought them ashore to the island of Lampedusa.

On Monday, Italy offered Tunisia the prospect of money in exchange for economic and political reforms as European Union foreign ministers discussed how to respond to growing instability in the African country.

While the number of crossings in the central Mediterranean rises, Italys right-wing government has approved new measures to fine charities who rescue asylum seekers at seaand impound their ships if they break new rules, possibly putting thousands of peoples lives in danger.

Since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in October, the Italian government has targeted the activities of sea rescue charities, accusing them of facilitating the work of people traffickers. The charities dismiss the allegations.

Read the rest here:
Dozens of bodies wash ashore after boats sink off Libya coast - Al Jazeera English

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War-ravaged Libya is better known for its oil wealth than its forests, but environmentalists hope to save its remaining green spaces from logging, development and the impacts of climate change.

The "Friends of the Tree" group works to raise awareness about green areas around the capital Tripoli that are quickly disappearing because of drought, human activity and desertification.

"Man has destroyed forests" and much of the vegetation, said the group's leader Khalifa Ramadan, who has been working in agriculture and gardening for 40 years.

At his farm in Tajura, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, Ramadan has planted eucalyptus, palm and laurel trees, which the group plans to replant around the capital.

The group meets weekly to launch media campaigns and carry out activities to confront "the dangers facing Tripoli and other coastal cities", said Ramadan.

Rainfall is scarce in the largely desert country, which is only starting to recover from the years of bloody conflict that followed the 2011 uprising which toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The group, which includes dozens of agronomists, horticulturists and volunteers, ultimately would like to revive a "green belt" project from the 1950s and '60s that has withered during decades of dictatorship, war and turmoil. The Friends of the Tree group meets weekly to launch media campaigns and carry out activities.

Back then, Libyan authorities dipped into the country's wealth to plant forests across an area stretching from Tripoli to the port city of Misrata, 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the east.

Strict laws at the time aimed to control urban expansion and soil erosion and to stop the desert from sweeping into Tripoli, while also opening new areas for agriculture.

Today Libyan state institutions, weakened by rivalries and continued insecurity, have struggled to bring stable governance, including on protecting the environment.

In recent years, at least 1,700 criminal cases have been identified involving activities such as unauthorized logging and illegal construction, says the agricultural police.

In Garabulli, a coastal area east of Tripolifamed for its pristine white sands and its centuries-old eucalyptus trees, acacias and wild mimosastree trunks litter the ground next to some illegal constructions, recently demolished on judicial instruction. Members of the Agricultural Police: in recent years, at least 1,700 criminal cases have been identified involving activities such as unauthorised logging and illegal construction, the police say.

"The green belt has become the target of numerous violations over the past few years," said General Fawzi Abugualia, spokesman for the agriculture police.

The police unit is ill-equipped to deal with all these challenges, but has nevertheless managed to score some points, he said.

With help from other security services, the agriculture police "have put a stop to these criminal acts", he said, referring to the destruction at Garabulli.

They have managed to seize back more than 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of land in the area that had been misappropriated by builders to construct private homes or seaside resorts.

But Libya and its forests face other, more long-term challengesespecially water scarcity driven by climate change and population pressures.

Abderrahman Mohamad, a volunteer who works alongside Ramadan, said the groundwater had dropped dramatically, particularly around Tripoli. General Fawzi Abugualia, spokesman for the Agriculture Police, says the green belt has become the target of numerous violations. Man has 'destroyed forests' said Khalifa Ramadan, who has been working in agriculture and gardening for 40 years.

"A few decades ago, you had just to dig 40 or 60 meters deep to find potable water," said the 65-year-old man. "Now you need to go deeper, to around 100 or 160 meters, to find it."

According to the World Resources Institute, Libya along with the other North African nations of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, is among the world's 30 most water-stressed countries.

Ramadan remains determined to do what he can to bring change and green more areas of the troubled country.

"We must teach people to preserve trees and encourage them to plant," he said, adding that this serves to "stabilize soils, temper the climate, clean the air and attract rain".

Continued here:
Libya green group battles to save remaining forests - Phys.org

The Libyan External Disputes Department of the Cases Department headed by Counsellor Ahmed Mukhtar Bazama (Head of the Cases Department and Chairman of the Overseas Disputes Committee) reported yesterday that it had won an arbitration case against South Koreas Shinhan Engineering and Construction Company.

The case was filed by the Korean company against the Libyan state based on the bilateral investment agreement between Libya and Korea to encourage and protect investments.

LD 661 million compensation claimThe Libyan External Disputes Department reported that Shinhan was claiming compensation of LD 660,560,359.00 with accrued interest until the date of full payment, and claiming compensation for all legal expenses incurred in the arbitration case. Shinhan had claimed the breach of the contracting parties (the state Organisation for the Development of Administrative Centres (ODAC) and the Housing and Infrastructure Board (HIB) to implement four projects for the construction of residential buildings and infrastructure in each of Zliten, Tripoli and Zawiya.

On 18 April 2023, the arbitral tribunal rejected all the plaintiffs requests and obliged it to do the following:

1- Paying a sum of money to the Libyan State to the amount of 194,931,10.00 USD, the costs of arbitration incurred by the State of Libya, within 60 days from the date of notification of this final judgment, and after this date, the amount due will bear interest at the rate of 5% annually, doubled until the date of full payment for the amount.

2- Paying a sum of money to the Libyan State to the amount of 1,267,083.00 pounds sterling, attorney fees, costs of experts and witnesses, incurred by the State of Libya in the arbitration, within 60 days of notification of this final judgment, and after this date, interest will be charged on the amount due at the rate of 5% annually, multiplied twice until the date of full payment of the amount.

The Cases Department extended its sincere thanks and gratitude to all public agencies that provided assistance to the cases management, and all workers in the HIB and ODAC in providing information, documents and facts supporting the defence in the case.

Libya wins Euro 275 million court case in Tunisia against Siba Plast (libyaherald.com)

The Libyan Investment Authority obtains second court ruling against Tunisias Siba Plast (libyaherald.com)

Two French Court of Appeal judgements lift Tunisian companys seizures of LFB assets (libyaherald.com)

Continued here:
Libya wins defence in case against Korea's LD 661 million Shinhan ... - Libya Herald