Weapons Looted During Libya Conflict Ended Up With Terrorists in Nigeria — UN

The United Nations has disclosed that weapons looted during the 2011 conflict in Libya later surfaced in the hands of extremist groups operating in Nigeria, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilise neighbouring countries years later.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, made the revelation at UN Headquarters in New York during discussions on the global spread of illicit firearms.

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

Weapons That Never Go Away

“The end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons; it stays, and it continues to harm people. Wars end, but unfortunately, the weapons that are used in that particular conflict would not be under full control. They continue to circulate. They are sometimes hidden. They are brought across borders.”

The weapons, originally looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict that ended Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, were recovered from extremist organisations in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria.

Nakamitsu warned that the proliferation of small arms is closely linked to terrorism, human rights violations, and gender-based violence — and highlighted emerging threats from ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms, and sophisticated smuggling networks.

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

Sources: Daily Trust, UN News, Leadership