Kadhafi's weapons ended up in the Sahel: UN confirms Libyan trail

The UN has officially established the link between the looting of Libyan arsenals in 2011 and the presence of weapons in the hands of extremist groups in the Sahel. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, cited Libya as a textbook case during a meeting in New York. The weapons transited to Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, and some were formally identified during seizures from extremist groups. The UN Security Council had warned of this risk as early as January 2012, and the Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty is set to take place in August 2026 in Geneva.