Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, a high-ranking UAE official and president of Interpol, was speaking this Tuesday in Luanda at the 26th African Regional Conference of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and indicated that, in recent years, Africa has seen an increase in crimes in several areas, especially cybercrime, which poses serious challenges to governments and citizens.
"Attacks are increasingly complex and frequent, with criminals using new methods to access confidential data and sensitive information," he noted.
In a joint operation by Interpol and Afripol (African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation) in 25 African countries, the police identified 21,000 suspicious cyber networks linked to financial losses of more than 40 million dollars (about 40 million euros), he said.
"Last May, Operation Jackal blocked more than 200 bank accounts linked to profits from online financial crimes conducted by heads of criminal networks in West Africa who were arrested", highlighted the official, indicating that the 54 central units Interpol nationals in Africa have supported several successful operations.
Recently, he added, the joint operation FLASH-WEKA (Interpol and Afripol), aimed at combating human trafficking, led to more than 1000 arrests and the identification of more than 2700 migrants and around 820 victims of human trafficking.
Naser Al-Raisi stated that Angola has been a relevant member since 1982, supporting the global fight against criminal groups in South Africa and, in partnership with other countries, has helped protect the region against trafficking in drugs, weapons, precious stones and people.
The president of Interpol considered that the organization's centenary is an opportunity to look at the next 100 years, highlighting imports from the 54 countries in the African region that represent more than 1.3 billion people.
"Our debates aim to reinforce the security of Africans and the continent", he said, reinforcing that Africa "is the future" and should not be overestimated.
He highlighted, on the other hand, that Africa has made great progress in combating crime, urging authorities to make the most of Interpol's databases and police services, as well as its resources and global presence.
