The United Nations has warned that weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 Libyan conflict continue to circulate across Africa and have been found in the hands of extremist groups operating in Nigeria and neighbouring Sahel states.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, made the remarks at 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 have officially ended.
“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.
Nakamitsu stressed that the end of fighting does not automatically stop the circulation of weapons.
“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 ceased.
According to Nakamitsu, weapons retained by armed groups or communities for self-protection can contribute to renewed violence, while illicit arms trafficking is also 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,” she said.
The UN official also warned that modern trafficking methods are making enforcement more difficult for governments. She pointed to the growing use of ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and disassembled weapon parts that are harder to detect and trace.
“Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace,” Nakamitsu said.
