The United Nations has warned that weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict have continued to circulate across the Sahel region, with some now in the possession of extremist groups operating in countries including Nigeria.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, raised the concern during a briefing at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, where global delegates gathered to address the spread of illicit small arms.
She said the aftermath of the Libyan crisis, which led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, created a major flow of uncontrolled weapons that spread beyond the country’s borders into neighbouring states such as Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria.
According to her, some of these arms were later recovered from extremist groups, highlighting how weapons from a single conflict can continue to fuel insecurity years after wars have ended.
She said:
“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 stressed that the end of a war does not stop the movement of weapons, noting that illicit arms often continue to circulate, cross borders, and resurface in new conflicts.
“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 has weakened peacebuilding efforts, contributed to renewed violence, and worsened insecurity in fragile communities.
The UN official also warned that illicit weapons are closely linked to terrorism, human rights abuses, and sexual and gender-based violence, describing the issue as both a security and development challenge.
“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.”
