From August 11 to 12, 2026, the US Embassy in Yaoundé brought together experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the AFRICOM Counter Drug Element – the antidrug unit of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) – and Counter Threat Finance, alongside officials from the Cameroonian Ministry of Defense. Washington claims to want to strengthen joint efforts to combat financial crime, transnational criminal networks, and violent extremist organizations in the digital age.

The embassy justifies this initiative by the rapid evolution of threats: “As cryptocurrencies and digital finance evolve, so do the tactics of those seeking to profit from them.”

The financial stakes are…