The United Nations has warned that the circulation of approximately one billion small arms and light weapons (SALW) worldwide is driving conflicts in Africa and beyond.

Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy High Representative of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, told the UN Security Council in New York that illicit weapons are sustaining conflict, terrorism, and criminal networks across multiple regions.

“More than one billion firearms are in circulation globally. The illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels armed violence, terrorism and organised crime,” Ebo said.

He highlighted that weapons diverted from national stockpiles or illicitly manufactured often end up in the hands of non-state armed groups, perpetuating instability.

Despite efforts to strengthen arms control, Ebo warned that “weapons produced and transferred today risk fuelling the instability of tomorrow.” He urged the Security Council to integrate small arms control into peace operations, peacebuilding strategies, and sanctions monitoring.

The UN official also noted the rise of 3D-printed “ghost guns” without serial numbers, increasingly found in illicit markets across Western Europe and Latin America.

“These abuses are preventable,” he said, calling for stronger stockpile controls, tracing systems, and compliance with arms embargoes.

Ebo emphasized that controlling small arms is a prerequisite for sustainable peace, highlighting African Union-led initiatives such as stockpile management harmonization, amnesty, and disarmament programs. While these efforts have destroyed tens of thousands of weapons, the scale of the problem remains massive.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, described small arms proliferation as “a cancer” driving instability from the Sahel to the Great Lakes region, citing ongoing atrocities in Darfur, Sudan.

Roraima Andriani, UN Special Representative to INTERPOL, stressed that illicit firearms trafficking is deeply connected to cross-border organized crime, used to control territory and expand influence. INTERPOL’s iARMS database, containing over two million records of lost, stolen, or trafficked weapons, supports multinational operations that have seized thousands of firearms and dismantled criminal networks.

“No measure taken in isolation can prevent the flow of such weapons across the globe,” Andriani said, urging Security Council action to explicitly integrate INTERPOL into sanctions and arms embargo mandates.

In 2024, the UN recorded at least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths, with small arms accounting for up to 30 percent in some regions.