Weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict have resurfaced in the hands of extremist groups operating in Nigeria and across the wider Sahel region, the United Nations has warned.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said on Wednesday in New York that arms diverted or stolen during conflicts often circulate for years, posing long-term threats to regional security.
She told delegates at UN headquarters that weapons taken from Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi were later traced to Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, with some ending up in the possession of extremist groups.
“Libya, where weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict… later surfaced across the wider Sahel region, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria,” Nakamitsu said.
She warned that the circulation of illicit small arms continues to undermine peacebuilding and prolong cycles of violence, stressing that the threat persists long after conflicts end.
“The end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons; it stays, and it continues to harm people,” she said.
Nakamitsu also flagged emerging threats such as 3D-printed firearms, ghost guns, and sophisticated trafficking networks, which she said are complicating global efforts to curb illicit arms flows.
Libya 2011 Weapons Now Arming Extremist Groups in Nigeria, Sahel ~ UN
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