As 10 Mediterranean nations vowed to strengthen their teamwork against radical Islamists, the United Nations on Thursday warned that chaos stirred by Islamist fighters in Libya could engulf Sahel countries, Al Arabiya reported.
Ethiopian diplomat Hiroute Guebre Sellassie told the Security Council that the humanitarian and security crises in the band of semi-arid land south of the Sahara desert were worsening, pointing to turmoil in Libya as a key factor.
"If the situation in Libya is not quickly brought under control, many states in the region could be destabilized in the near future," said the U.N. envoy for the Sahel.
Libya has been sliding deeper into crisis, torn by rival governments and parliaments battling powerful militias, despite U.N. efforts to broker talks on ending the violence.
Torn by rival governments and parliaments battling powerful militias, Libya has been sliding deeper into crisis despite U.N. efforts to broker talks on ending the violence.
Last month, the Security Council added the Libyan group Ansar al-Sharia to its terror list over its links to Al-Qaeda and for running training camps for Islamic State fighters sent to Syria and Iraq.
Guebre Sellassie said terrorist and criminal networks in Libya were developing closer ties to Mali and northern Nigeria, dealing in arms sales and drug trafficking among other illegal trade.
Close to 20,000 arms have poured into the Sahel from Libya and most of the 18 tonnes of cocaine, worth $1.25 billion, sent to West Africa transits through the region, she said.
Human trafficking is rife, with children making up 60 percent of the victims.