"The partners' biggest failure has been their weak involvement in the fight against arms smuggling from Libya, which is the most important factor in the prevalence of this terrorism," Bazoum told the opening of a major security forum in Senegal.

"The terrorist groups currently operating in the Sahel stand out by the sophisticated type and remarkable quantity of their weapons and their ammunition, which are acquired at very low cost through Libyan smuggling networks," Bazoum said.

"I even tend to think that, in some weapons, the terrorists have a bigger share than the regular armed forces.

"This is notably the case for RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) launchers and M80 assault rifles, which are the big weapons in these wars."

Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, is struggling with a devastating campaign by jihadists that began in northern Mali in 2012.

At least 12 soldiers and "dozens of terrorists" were killed in a battle in western Niger on Saturday, the defence ministry announced Sunday.

The bloodshed has claimed thousands of civilian and military lives, forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and dealt crippling economic blows to countries that already ranked among the poorest in the world.

The region's former colonial power France is leading European efforts to fight the jihadists, while the UN has a large peacekeeping force in Mali.

Sahel countries "need better-tailored help from their partners, based on intelligence, air support and strengthening the capacities of their armed forces," Bazoum said.

He was speaking at the opening of the two-day Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security, an event now in its seventh year.

Libya plunged into chaos after the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival clans often supported by outside countries.

"The overflow of weapons (from Libya) has been channelled to the Sahel, fuelling the various centres of terrorism as well as the numerous groups of criminal bandits operating in the area, especially in Nigeria," Bazoum said.