A massive three-month cybercrime crackdown across Africa has resulted in over 1,200 arrests and the recovery of nearly $100 million, marking one of the continent’s most successful digital crime operations.
Operation Serengeti 2.0 swept through 18 African nations and the UK between June and August 2025, dismantling criminal networks behind ransomware attacks, email fraud schemes, and investment scams. Law enforcement agencies destroyed 11,432 malicious digital infrastructures during the coordinated strikes.
The continental operation targeted what INTERPOL identified as Africa’s fastest-growing cyber threats, building on intelligence from the organization’s latest cyberthreat assessment. Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza emphasized the growing strength of international cooperation in combating digital crime.
“This global network delivers real outcomes and protects victims through deeper collaboration and shared expertise,” Urquiza said. “Each coordinated operation expands our investigative capabilities across member countries.”
Angola delivered perhaps the operation’s most striking blow, shutting down 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining operations run by 60 Chinese nationals. Authorities seized 45 unauthorized power stations and IT equipment valued at over $37 million, which officials plan to redistribute for electricity access in remote communities.
Zambian investigators uncovered a sophisticated $300 million investment fraud that ensnared 65,000 victims through fake cryptocurrency applications. Police arrested 15 suspects and froze digital assets, bank accounts, and communication channels linked to the scheme. Separately, they disrupted human trafficking operations and confiscated 372 fraudulent passports from seven countries.
Côte d’Ivoire authorities traced an international inheritance scam back to Germany, arresting the primary suspect and seizing luxury items, vehicles, and cash. The elaborate fraud convinced victims to pay processing fees for non-existent inheritances, generating estimated losses of $1.6 million.
The operation received crucial intelligence from private cybersecurity firms including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, and Trend Micro. These partnerships provided investigators with real-time data on suspicious domains, IP addresses, and criminal command centers.
Specialized training in cryptocurrency tracking, ransomware analysis, and digital intelligence tools preceded the raids, directly contributing to the operation’s unprecedented scale. Officers across participating countries received instruction in advanced investigative techniques specifically designed for cyber crimes.
The crackdown also utilized the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network, a 36-country consortium led by the Netherlands that shares threat intelligence to prevent crimes before they occur. This proactive approach represents a shift from reactive policing to predictive intervention.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding supported the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime framework that enabled the continental coordination. Countries spanning from West Africa to the Indian Ocean participated, including Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The operation’s success signals a new phase in Africa’s fight against digital crime, with law enforcement agencies increasingly capable of tracking sophisticated criminal networks across borders and jurisdictions.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
