What You Need to Know
Interpol’s Sirengeti 2.0 operation, conducted from June to August 2025, led to the arrest of over 1200 individuals across 18 African countries and the UK. The campaign successfully recovered $97.4 million, dismantling over 11,000 malicious digital infrastructures and targeting approximately 88,000 victims of cybercrime.
Africa-Press. Sirengeti 2.0: A wide-ranging security campaign led by Interpol from June to August 2025 resulted in the arrest of over 1200 individuals across 18 African countries and the UK, suspected of involvement in cybercrimes targeting approximately 88,000 victims.
The campaign successfully recovered $97.4 million and dismantled over 11,000 malicious digital infrastructures, including command and control servers, suspicious websites, and addresses used in fraudulent activities.
International Cooperation and Private Sector Partnership
The Sirengeti 2.0 operation was launched based on recommendations from an Interpol report on cyber threats in Africa, which identified ransomware attacks, online fraud, and business email compromises as the most pressing dangers.
The operation involved investigators from several countries, including Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Kenya, and Nigeria, with technical and intelligence support from international cybersecurity firms like Kaspersky, Trend Micro, and Fortinet.
Goals and Objectives
The aim of Sirengeti 2.0 was to dismantle transnational cybercrime networks, disrupt the digital infrastructures used for fraud, ransomware attacks, and business email compromises. It also sought to enhance coordination among law enforcement agencies in participating countries, improve intelligence sharing, reduce financial losses, and protect victims from growing digital exploitation.
Strategy and Results
Following the first phase of the Sirengeti operation in late 2024, African governments began to bolster their capabilities to combat cybercrime, either by developing legal frameworks or enhancing law enforcement efficiency. However, some legislation, such as Zambia’s Cybersecurity Law, faced human rights criticisms due to vague wording that could allow for expanded surveillance under the guise of crime prevention.
Independent journalist Isabel Ravina noted in a report published by New Lines magazine that fraud patterns represent the result of a 25-year evolution in Africa, which has seen the fastest digital growth globally. This rapid expansion preceded the establishment of comprehensive legal and regulatory systems, creating gaps exploited by criminals benefiting from limited resources and budgets allocated for cybersecurity.
In August 2025, Zambian police raided a call center in the capital Lusaka, discovering that the workers were not providing technical support but were part of an international fraud network targeting victims with false promises of returns from cryptocurrency investments.
The raid led to the dismantling of a human trafficking network and the seizure of 372 forged passports, marking the beginning of what would later be known as Sirengeti 2.0.
The operation spanned 18 African countries and targeted cybercrime networks accused of siphoning approximately $485 million from around 88,000 victims. Interpol led the campaign with British funding and Dutch support, while local law enforcement agencies executed the operation on the ground.
The joint efforts resulted in the dismantling of 11,432 digital criminal infrastructures and the recovery of nearly $100 million, reflecting a qualitative shift in African governments’ ability to coordinate cross-border responses to complex crimes.
This collaborative effort led to the arrest of 68 members of the Bloody gang in Ghana, demonstrating law enforcement’s capacity to track criminal behavioral patterns and geographically locate suspects, even within complex and transnational technical environments.
Operations extended to Côte d’Ivoire and Angola, where Angolan authorities conducted raids targeting 25 warehouses dedicated to cryptocurrency mining that were draining the national power grid and causing widespread outages.
The Angolan government seized equipment valued at approximately $37 million, with plans to repurpose it to enhance energy distribution for communities with limited resources.
The rise of cybercrime in Africa has been significant, with the continent experiencing rapid digital growth over the past 25 years. This growth has outpaced the development of comprehensive legal and regulatory frameworks, creating vulnerabilities that criminals exploit. The Sirengeti 2.0 operation reflects a growing recognition of the need for international cooperation and enhanced law enforcement capabilities to combat these evolving threats.
In response to increasing cyber threats, African governments have begun to strengthen their legal frameworks and law enforcement capabilities. However, some legislation has faced criticism for vague provisions that could lead to excessive monitoring.
