The United Nations has imposed sanctions on the leaders of human trafficking networks in Libya, including those associated with the country's EU-funded coastguard.

The sanctions include a global travel ban and an assets freeze of six of the most prolific smugglers who took advantage of the insecurity in Libya to move hundreds of thousands of migrants by sea to Europe.

It marks the first time that smugglers have been targeted by the global body's Security Council.

Libya emerged as a major conduit for African migrants hoping to reach Europe after a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed the country's longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and the country slid into chaos, with rival governments and parliaments based in the western and eastern regions, each backed by different militias and tribes.