Nuclear Weapons that Libya and South Africa Owned, The Only Nuclear Weapons Programs In Africa

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) like nuclear, radiological, and biological are common in all other continents but one. The countries with vast resources in those continents have heavily invested in such weapons, particularly nuclear arsenals. On the flip side, the WMD program currently has zero players on the African Continent. However, this doesn’t mean the program never existed there. In fact, two African countries pursued the program from the early 60s, though only one managed to produce functional nuclear weapons. So let’s briefly discuss these countries and their quest for the WMD program. Shall we?

South Africa

South Africa’s quest for WMD began in the mid-60s up to 1994. During that period, the nation led by the apartheid regime exploited all classes of WMDs and eventually settled on nuclear arsenals. Extensive research was conducted on these weapons. All the materials, facilities, and systems necessary for weapon production were availed and prepared. Six nuclear armaments were built and stocked.

South Africa was to conduct the tests to demonstrate its might if political and military instability persisted in the Southern region of Africa. However, American intervened and calmed the region. All the six warheads were destroyed at the end of the apartheid regime.Additional information on South Africa’s quest for WMD is here.

Libya

Muammar Gaddafi launched a WMD program soon after taking control of Libya in 1961. The program’s objective was to develop nuclear weapons. All the systems needed to produce the weapons were all set. However, production never happened as, by 2003, Gaddafi had given up his nuclear ambitions. He publicly announced on 19th December 2003 that his nation would willingly destroy all its nuclear material and systems that would have created such weapons. That was the end of Libya’s WMD pursuit. You can access more information on Libya’s nuclear program here. Follow this channel if you wish to receive such intriguing articles as soon as we publish them. Also, support this channel by clicking the like and share buttons. Thank you.

Content created and supplied by: Nyongesa-254 (via Opera News )