The United Nations has warned that weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict have been traced to extremist groups operating in Nigeria and other parts of the Sahel, highlighting the long-term security consequences of arms proliferation in the region.
The disclosure was made by UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, during a briefing at the UN headquarters in New York.
She said arms diverted during and after the fall of Libya’s former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, continue to circulate across the Sahel, including in Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where some have been recovered from extremist and terrorist groups.
According to her, although the Libyan conflict ended more than a decade ago, the weapons stolen during the war remain in circulation and continue to fuel violence and instability across Africa.
Nakamitsu warned that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons remains a major obstacle to peacebuilding, stressing that they contribute to terrorism, organised crime, human rights abuses, and renewed cycles of violence.
She also highlighted emerging threats such as ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms, and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks, which are making it harder for authorities to trace illegal weapons.
Security experts have long linked the collapse of Libya in 2011 to the spread of arms across West Africa, saying it strengthened insurgent and terrorist groups operating in the region.
The UN warned that without stronger regional cooperation, improved border security, and better arms-tracking systems, the flow of illicit weapons will continue to worsen insecurity in Nigeria and across the Sahel.
