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A large-scale joint crackdown on terrorism financing and the criminal networks sustaining it has resulted in 83 arrests across six African nations and the identification of 160 additional persons of interest.
The initiative, named Operation Catalyst, was carried out between July and September 2025 under the joint coordination of INTERPOL and AFRIPOL. The operation’s primary aim was to trace, monitor, and disrupt financial channels used to bankroll extremist and terrorist groups operating within and beyond the continent.
During the three-month effort, authorities screened over 15,000 individuals and entities, uncovering an estimated USD 260 million in assets—spanning both traditional (fiat) and digital (virtual) currencies—believed to be linked to terrorist activities. Law enforcement agencies successfully seized more than USD 600,000, while ongoing investigations seek to trace, freeze, and recover further illicit funds.
Operation Catalyst exposed the deep interconnection between terrorism financing and other forms of organized crime, including money laundering, cyber fraud, kidnapping for ransom, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, and the misuse of cryptocurrencies to conceal illicit transactions.
Of those arrested:
- 21 individuals were directly connected to terrorism-related offenses,
- 28 were implicated in financial fraud and money laundering,
- 16 were tied to cyber-enabled criminal schemes, and
- 18 were apprehended for illicit dealings involving virtual assets.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza described the operation as a significant milestone in Africa’s counter-terrorism cooperation, emphasizing that it marks the first time financial crime, cybercrime, and counter-terrorism units from multiple African nations have coordinated so closely to dismantle terrorism financing networks.
AFRIPOL Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Chelba praised the unprecedented collaboration, highlighting Operation Catalyst as a model for future regional security efforts. “This operation demonstrates how joint, intelligence-driven action—facilitated by AFRIPOL and INTERPOL—can effectively tackle complex and evolving threats,” he stated.
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The success of Operation Catalyst was further enhanced through strategic support from private-sector intelligence partners, including Binance, Moody’s, and Uppsala Security, whose analytical insights and data-sharing contributions proved crucial in tracing illicit financial movements. Together, these combined efforts underscore a new era of transnational cooperation in the fight against terrorism financing and organized crime across Africa.