Small Arms and Light Weapons as a Source of Terrorist Financing in Post-Qadhafi Libya

Post-Qadhafi Libya has played a pivotal role in the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) not only in the Middle East and North Africa but also in other regions, as far as West Africa and the Horn of Africa. With the fall of the Qadhafi regime in 2011, much of its military arsenal, one of the largest and most diverse in the region, fell into the hands of various non-state actors inside and outside the country, including designated terrorist organisations. In this Research Briefing Mary Fitzgerald examines how the Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Libya have accessed small arms and light weapons and how that has enabled their expansion within Libya, including by boosting their financing streams.