The United Nations has raised the alarm over the continued circulation of illicit firearms, revealing that weapons looted during the 2011 Libyan conflict have surfaced in the hands of extremist groups in Nigeria and across the Sahel.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing delegates at the UN headquarters in New York on the global threat of small arms proliferation.
Nakamitsu explained that the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime led to a massive diversion of arms that continues to devastate peaceful communities over a decade later.
“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—serves as a stark example,” Nakamitsu said. “Some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist groups, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilize neighboring countries years later.”
She warned that the end of a war does not halt the movement of munitions, noting that hidden stockpiles are often trafficked across borders to fuel organized crime and terrorism.
“The end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons; they stay, and they continue to harm people,” she added.
The UN envoy emphasized that the proliferation of small arms is not merely a security concern but a significant barrier to human rights and economic development. She linked the presence of these illicit weapons to a rise in sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the undermining of peacebuilding efforts.
Beyond conventional trafficking, Nakamitsu highlighted emerging threats in the illicit arms trade, including the rise of “ghost guns,” 3D-printed firearms, and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks that make tracing nearly impossible.
“Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace,” she warned, urging global governments to treat the circulation of illicit arms as a priority for national and regional stability.
