The head of the African Union has expressed concern over the flow of weapons into Libya after France revealed it had dropped arms into rebel-held areas of the conflict-stricken country earlier this month.

AU Commissioner Jean Ping, who chairs a meeting of African leaders in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Thursday, said that weapons distributed in Libya would contribute to the "destabilisation" of African states.

"What worries us is not who is giving what, but simply that weapons are being distributed by all parties and to all parties. We already have proof that these weapons are in the hands of al-Qaeda, of traffickers," said Ping.