The United Nations (United Nations) has warned that weapons looted during the 2011 Libyan conflict have continued to circulate across Africa and are now in the possession of extremist groups operating in Nigeria and neighbouring Sahel states.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, made the statement at the UN Headquarters in New York during discussions on the global spread of illicit firearms. She said the continued movement of weapons after conflicts end remains a major driver of insecurity across regions long after wars are officially over.
She cited Libya as a key example:“Libya, where weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict which ended the rule of Muammar Gadaffi later surfaced across the wider Sahel region, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. Some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist groups, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilise neighbouring countries years later.”
Nakamitsu warned that the end of fighting does not mean the end of weapons circulation, noting that illicit arms continue to fuel violence, crime and instability across borders. “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.
She added that in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the proliferation of small arms continues to undermine peacebuilding efforts, even years after active conflicts have ended.
According to her, weapons retained by armed groups or communities for self-protection can also contribute to renewed violence, while illicit arms are linked to terrorism, human rights abuses, and sexual and gender-based violence. “It is not just a security issue. It is also about peacebuilding. It is about human rights. It is also about development,” Nakamitsu said.
She warned that modern trafficking methods, including ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and disassembled weapon parts, are making enforcement more difficult for governments. “Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace,” she said.
The UN highlighted that member states adopted an action programme in 2001 to strengthen national legislation, improve stockpile security, and combat illicit arms trafficking, followed by the 2005 International Tracing Instrument designed to standardise marking and tracing of weapons.
The organisation said it continues to support countries through technical assistance, policy guidance and capacity-building programmes aimed at improving border security and reducing the diversion of weapons into illegal markets.