The United Nations has warned that weapons looted during the 2011 conflict in Libya have resurfaced in the hands of extremist groups operating in Nigeria and across the wider Sahel region, fueling ongoing insecurity in West Africa.
The disclosure was made by Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, while addressing delegates at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the proliferation of illicit arms.
Nakamitsu said arms diverted or stolen during armed conflicts often continue to circulate for years after the fighting has ended, posing long-term threats to regional and global security.
She noted that weapons taken from Libya after the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi were later traced across several countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria.
“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,” she said.
According to her, some of the weapons eventually ended up in the possession of extremist groups, demonstrating how conflicts in one country can have destabilising effects far beyond its borders.
She warned that the circulation of illicit small arms and light weapons continues to undermine peacebuilding efforts and prolong cycles of violence in affected regions.
“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 linked the spread of illicit weapons to terrorism, human rights abuses, and sexual and gender-based violence, stressing that the problem goes beyond security concerns alone.
“It is not just a security issue. It is also about peacebuilding. It is about human rights. It is also about development,” she said.
She further explained that even after wars end, weapons are often hidden, stockpiled, or trafficked across borders, making them difficult to track and control.
The UN official also raised concerns about emerging threats such as 3D-printed firearms, ghost guns, and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks, which she said are complicating global efforts to curb illicit arms flows.