In brief
South African police have arrested Kemi Seba, a French-born Beninese activist, on charges of inciting rebellion after he expressed support for a foiled coup in Benin last year. Seba was apprehended in Pretoria, allegedly while trying to escape to Europe. Along with his 18-year-old son, he was arrested during a sting operation, and a facilitator helping them in the illegal crossing to Zimbabwe was also detained. Seba's controversial stance against French influence and his connections to military leaders in West Africa have drawn significant scrutiny.
South African police say they have arrested wanted fugitive French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba while he was allegedly attempting to flee to Europe through Zimbabwe.Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, is wanted in Benin on charges of inciting rebellion after supporting last year's foiled coup there.He was arrested on Monday alongside his 18-year-old son in a sting operation at a shopping center in Pretoria. A facilitator who had allegedly been paid to help them illegally cross to Zimbabwe was also detained.Seba, 45, is known for opposing French influence in Africa, backing West Africa's military leaders and has been accused of spreading Russian propaganda.Preliminary investigations have revealed that the father [Seba] is allegedly a wanted fugitive in France and Benin for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state, South Africa's police said in a statement on Thursday.The police added that the individual who assisted Seba and his son had been paid about 250,000 South African rand ($15,000; £11,000) to help them move across the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, with the intention to further proceed to Europe.They remain in police custody after appearing in court on Wednesday, and the case was moved to 20 April, with plans for Seba's extradition under way.He has not commented on the allegations against him.Seba was born in France to parents from Benin and is a prominent figure with 1.5 million followers online. He heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency, which promotes issues related to African sovereignty and solidarity.He has been sentenced in France several times for inciting racial hatred and is often accused of anti-Semitism.In 2024, he was stripped of his French citizenship. He responded by burning his passport in public, claiming he had been freed from the burden of French nationality.Thomas Gassilloud, then chairman of the National Assembly's defense committee, accused him of being a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda and serving a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment, according to the France24 news site.The same year, he was granted a Niger diplomatic passport that designated him a special adviser to the junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani.The military leaders which seized power in Niger, as well as its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, have halted military cooperation with France in the fight against Islamist militants and have instead started working with Russia.On 7 December, mutinying soldiers claimed to have overthrown the Benin president. The attempted coup was foiled within hours with help from Nigeria and France.Seba had posted a video declaring it was the day of liberation for his country.Benin, a former French colony, subsequently issued an international warrant for his arrest for supporting the failed coup.
