African law enforcers have arrested 574 suspects in a new operation targeting cybercriminals across the continent, according to Interpol.
Operation Sentinel ran from October 27 to November 27 and focused on three of the most common cybercrime categories: business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and ransomware.
The Interpol-coordinated operation led to the recovery of $3m in alleged cybercrime proceeds and the takedown of 6000 malicious links, as well as the decryption of six ransomware variants.
Interpol claimed the cases investigated during the operation were linked to financial losses exceeding $21m.
Read more on African cybercrime: Interpol Cracks Down on Large-Scale African Scamming Networks
Among the successes of the month-long campaign were:
- The halting of a $7.9m wire transfer from a petroleum company in Senegal to threat actors, after a BEC attack in which the latter hijacked company email accounts and impersonated executives to authorize the transaction
- The recovery of 30TB of data encrypted in a ransomware attack on a Ghanaian financial institution which cost the company $120,000 and led to the encryption of 100TB of data. Multiple suspects were arrested in the operation
- The dismantling of a fraud network operating across Ghana and Nigeria. The network defrauded more than 200 victims out of over $400,000 through legitimate-looking apps and websites that copied well-known fast-food brands. They collected payments but never delivered orders. Ten suspects were arrested and 30 scam servers taken offline
- The takedown of 43 malicious domains and 4318 social media accounts linked to extortion schemes and scams in Benin
A Growing Problem
Cybercrime now accounts for 30% of all reported crime in Western and Eastern Africa and is increasing rapidly elsewhere on the continent, Interpol warned in June.
Its 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report noted that two-thirds of African member countries claim cyber-related offenses now account for a “medium-to-high” (i.e., 10-30% or 30%+) share of all crimes.
“The scale and sophistication of cyber-attacks across Africa are accelerating, especially against critical sectors like finance and energy,” warned Interpol director of cybercrime, Neal Jetton.
“The outcomes from Operation Sentinel reflect the commitment of African law enforcement agencies, working in close coordination with international partners. Their actions have successfully protected livelihoods, secured sensitive personal data and preserved critical infrastructure.”
Team Cymru, The Shadowserver Foundation, Trend Micro, TRM Labs and Uppsala Security took part in Operation Sentinel. It was run by the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), funded by the UK and EU.
The following African countries participated: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
