UN Says Weapons Looted During Libya Conflict Ended Up In Hands Of Terrorists In Nigeria

The United Nations has revealed that weapons looted during the 2011 conflict in Libya eventually found their way into the hands of terrorist groups operating in Nigeria and other countries across the Sahel region.

The disclosure was made by the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, while addressing delegates at the UN Headquarters in New York during discussions on the global spread of illicit firearms and their impact on international peace and security.

Nakamitsu warned that weapons diverted or stolen during armed conflicts often continue to fuel violence long after wars have ended, contributing to terrorism, organised crime and instability across national borders.

According to her, arms looted during the uprising that toppled former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi later resurfaced in several countries across the Sahel, including Nigeria.

“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,” she said.

The UN official noted that some of the weapons were eventually recovered from extremist groups operating within the region, highlighting how arms originating from one conflict can continue to destabilise neighbouring countries years later.

“Some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist groups, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilise neighbouring countries years later,” Nakamitsu stated.

“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 stressed that the continued circulation of illicit firearms remains a major obstacle to peacebuilding efforts, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected societies.

According to her, weapons retained by armed groups, militias and even local communities for self-defence purposes often contribute to renewed cycles of violence and insecurity.

Nakamitsu further linked the proliferation of small arms and light weapons to a range of security and humanitarian challenges, including terrorism, human rights abuses 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 disarmament chief explained that weapons used during conflicts frequently remain outside government control after hostilities end, allowing them to move across borders and fuel criminal activities in other regions.

“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 concerns over emerging threats posed by technological advancements in illicit arms production and trafficking, including the growing use of ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and increasingly sophisticated smuggling networks.

According to her, these developments are making it more difficult for authorities to trace and intercept illegal weapons.

“Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace,” she added.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons across the Sahel continue to fuel terrorism, armed conflict, organised crime and regional instability.