As two big nations of USA and South
Korea threatens themselves over the use of nuclear bombs, smaller nations have
started to take precautions in order to safeguard themselves against any
possible attack. Nuclear terrorism brought about by illegal use of radiological
dispersive devices is now becoming a phenomenon of worldwide concern, in
respect of which Tanzania, through the Tanzania Atomic Commission, is already
taking serious precautions. We are aware that the threat to public safety and
security posed by some form of nuclear terrorism through the possible use of
radiological dispersive devices (RDDs) is not fiction and has now become a
global cause of anxiety,” stated Dr Firmi Banzi, the acting Director General
for the Arusha based Tanzania Atomic Commission (TAEC). Dr Banzi was addressing
delegates during the one of the sessions of the just held ‘International
Response Force Training,’ which was organized by the Government through TAEC,
in collaboration with the United States’ Department for Energy (USDOE).
The
training was attended by 35 representatives from various, medical, research and
security organs, including the Police, the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI)
of Dar es salaam, Bugando Medical Center from Mwanza, Tsetse and
Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (TTRI) of Tanga as well as regulators from
TAEC. The TAEC Acting Director General pointed out that “In Tanzania, we have
experienced incidents of illicit trafficking of radioactive materials, whereby
unauthorized people attempted to possess radioactive sources to make quick
money by selling them to other persons who are similarly not authorized to
handle such supplies,” he said. According to Dr Banzi, since the radioactive
materials could be used for various applications, some being deadly, they could
easily become sources for nuclear terrorism; “and because of these, all
unprotected radiation sources worldwide are being recognized as potential
threats for everyone,” he added. In broader and legal terms, ‘nuclear
terrorism’ was described at the training as being an offence committed when a
person unlawfully and intentionally “uses in any way radioactive material, with
the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to another person.
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