INTERPOL - African Union agreement to boost fight against terrorism and organized crime

LYON, France – INTERPOL and the African Union (AU) have signed an information sharing agreement which provides a platform for cooperation with AFRIPOL in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

Under the accord, AFRIPOL will have access to INTERPOL’s nominal, stolen motor vehicles, and stolen and lost travel documents databases.

African Union delegation headed by Ambassador Smail Chergui (second from left) with INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock (right) and African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui.

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In addition, the AFRIPOL Secretariat will be able to exchange messages with National Central Bureaus in African region via I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure police communications network.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock and AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui signed the agreement at the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters in France.

“This is a significant milestone in the ongoing cooperation between the African Union and INTERPOL, especially in this time of globalization,” said Ambassador Chergui. The Ambassador was accompanied by AFRIPOL Executive Director, Dr Tarek Sharif and Mr Ali Ferragh, representing the President of the AFRIPOL General Assembly and General Director of the Algerian National Police.

Secretary General Stock said: “This agreement is an important and positive step which underlines INTERPOL’s commitment to providing the most relevant and effective operational support to both its African member countries and the global law enforcement community.”

In January 2016, INTERPOL opened its Special Representative Office to the AU to build on the strength of its four Regional Bureaus – Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zimbabwe - and National Central Bureaus across Africa.