Sahel: the fight against terrorism . Weapons and explosives found in Niger

This entry seems to indicate that terrorist groups are buying weapons and explosives from the stocks of the Libyan army, the report said.

A large number of weapons and ammunition stocks from Libya are in fact  being smuggled into the region, according to the UN citing officials and international experts to the effect that the rockets, machine guns equipped with sights, anti-aircraft guns, guns, ammunition, grenades, explosives (Semtex) and artillery light anti-aircraft (gauges light twin-tube), mounted on vehicles were introduced by smuggling.

The same experts do not rule out that more sophisticated weapons like surface to air missiles, or MANPADS can be transferred in the region, but haveyet to provide evidence that such weapons are present or have been found.

Some officials believe that these weapons have been introduced partly in the Sahel by returnees, including ex-combatants, who were soldiers of the Libyan army or mercenaries in the conflict.

Some also argue that some of these weapons were probably hidden in the desert and could be sold to terrorist groups, such as (AQIM) and the sect Nigerian Boko Haram, or other criminal organizations, according to the document that reported an increase in arms trafficking in some countries in West Africa, MAP reports.

In a previous report, the Secretary General of the UN had warned against the "possibility of links between Boko Haram and AQIM.

The report on the activities of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) covering the period 1 July to 31 December 2011 noted a "series of attacks by the sect Boko Haram in Nigeria has cost the lives of many civilians, including among UN staff, and a lot of wounded. "

AQIM, for its part "was involved in the abduction of foreign nationals", said the document which did not rule out the possibility of a "link" between the two terrorist organizations.