UN Warns: 1 Billion Illicit Weapons Driving Conflict and Instability Worldwide

The United Nations has sounded the alarm over the global proliferation of nearly one billion small arms and light weapons (SALW), warning that their spread is fuelling conflict and insecurity in Africa and across the world.

Speaking before the UN Security Council in New York, Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy High Representative of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), said illicit weapons are sustaining terrorism, organised crime, and armed violence in multiple regions.

“More than one billion firearms are in circulation globally,” Ebo stated. “The illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels armed violence, terrorism, and organised crime. Weapons diverted from national stockpiles, or at any point in the supply chain, could end up in the hands of non-state armed groups.”

Despite progress in global arms control measures, Ebo warned that illegal arms transfers continue to undermine peace efforts.

“The weapons produced and transferred today risk fuelling the instability of tomorrow,” he cautioned.

He called on the Security Council to integrate small arms control into peace operations, peacebuilding strategies, and sanctions monitoring, stressing:

“Our responsibility is clear — we must prevent the diversion and illicit manufacturing of small arms and light weapons, or we will face the consequences of deepening insecurity.”

Ebo also highlighted the rise of 3D-printed “ghost guns” — untraceable firearms without serial numbers — increasingly found on illicit markets in Western Europe and Latin America.

The human cost remains devastating. In 2024, the UN recorded at least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths, with small arms responsible for up to 30% in some regions.
“These abuses are preventable,” Ebo said, urging stronger stockpile management, tracing systems, and compliance with arms embargoes.

He praised African Union (AU) efforts, including Africa Amnesty Month, which has led to the destruction of tens of thousands of weapons, but warned that “the scale of the problem remains vast.”

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, described the proliferation of small arms as “a cancer” driving instability across the continent — from the Sahel to the Great Lakes region.

“These weapons are being used to unleash horrific violence and suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan,” he added, referencing the ongoing atrocities in El Fasher.

Roraima Andriani, UN Special Representative to INTERPOL, said that illicit firearms trafficking is now deeply linked to cross-border organised crime.

“This is a transnational chain of violence that can only be addressed through transnational cooperation,” she said.

INTERPOL’s iARMS database currently holds over two million records of lost, stolen, and trafficked weapons, supporting multinational operations that have seized thousands of firearms and dismantled networks tied to terrorism, trafficking, and illegal mining.

Andriani urged the Security Council to formally integrate INTERPOL’s role into future sanctions and arms embargo mandates, stressing that:

“No measure taken in isolation can prevent the flow of such weapons across the globe.”

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