The United Nations has said some weapons looted during and after the 2011 Libyan conflict later found their way into the hands of extremist groups in Nigeria and other parts of the Sahel.
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The UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing delegates on the spread of illicit firearms at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.
Nakamitsu said weapons stolen, diverted or left uncontrolled after conflicts often continue to circulate for years, fuelling violence, organised crime, terrorism and instability in neighbouring countries.
She cited Libya as a major example, noting that arms looted during the conflict that ended the rule of Muammar Gaddafi later resurfaced across the wider Sahel region.
“Libya, where weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict, which ended the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, later surfaced across the wider Sahel region, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria,” Nakamitsu said.
“Some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist groups, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilise neighbouring countries years later.
“The end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons; it stays, and it continues to harm people.”
Nakamitsu warned that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons undermines peacebuilding efforts and worsens insecurity in affected regions.
According to her, weapons retained by armed groups, militias and communities for self-protection can easily contribute to renewed violence and further instability.
She said illicit arms are not only a security concern but are also linked to human rights violations, terrorism, sexual and gender-based violence, and developmental setbacks.
“It is not just a security issue. It is also about peacebuilding. It is about human rights. It is also about development,” she said.
The UN official added that even after wars end, weapons used during such conflicts often remain outside state control, hidden within communities or moved across borders by criminal networks.
“Wars end, but unfortunately, the weapons that are used in that particular conflict would not be under full control,” she said.
“They continue to circulate. They are sometimes hidden. They are brought across borders.”
Nakamitsu also raised concern over emerging threats posed by ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and sophisticated arms trafficking networks, saying they are creating new enforcement and tracing challenges for governments around the world.
She noted that weapons and weapon parts trafficked in disassembled forms are more difficult to trace, making illicit arms control increasingly complex.
Her remarks underscore long-standing concerns that the collapse of Libya’s security structures after the 2011 conflict contributed to the spread of weapons across West Africa and the Sahel, where extremist groups and criminal networks have continued to exploit porous borders and weak state control.
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