Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
The International Criminal Police Organisations recently conducted one of Africa’s largest cybercrime enforcement operations, which led to the arrest of 1 462 suspects, disrupting 10 909 malicious networks and recovering more than US$105 million in illicit funds.
This operation saw law enforcement agencies from 21 countries, including Zimbabwe, participating in the operation.
Other countries that participated include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, and Zambia.
Under INTERPOL’s coordination, investigators from participating countries joined forces in Operation Serengeti III, to combat cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), online scams and digital extortion.
Authorities identified 65 929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, underscoring the scale and sophistication of today’s digital threats. Financial investigations linked criminal activity to losses exceeding USD 385 million.
The operation comes as INTERPOL’s African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 points to a rapidly evolving threat landscape, with artificial intelligence increasingly enabling cybercrime activity across the continent and cyber-enabled financial losses continuing to rise.
Prior to the operation, investigators from 20 African countries and from the United States were provided with actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure linked to criminal activity.
Operation Serengeti III was supported by private-sector partners to disrupt cybercriminal networks operating across Africa. They provided critical intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise, helping authorities identify targets, map criminal networks, and support investigative activities across the region.
INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton said: ” Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.
“Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.”
