A new UN report says Libya's ability to prevent the flow of weapons into the chaotic country is "almost nonexistent," and it calls for the tightening of an arms embargo that the government says must be loosened so it can defend itself, the Associated Press reports.

The report by a panel of experts also recommends the creation of a maritime monitoring force to help Libya's government prevent both the flow of weapons and the illegal export of the country's oil.

The international community is alarmed by the recent emergence of Islamic State group-affiliated fighters in the north African country, which is divided by two rival governments and multiple militias.

But the United States and others worry that any weapons provided to the fragile Western-backed government would quickly fall into the wrong hands.