Beninese activist Kemi Seba, known for his anti-Western stance and ties to Russia, has been detained in Paris. French police took Seba into custody on Monday, along with his associate, Hery Djehuty, according to a source from the French news agency AFP.
Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, was detained by officers from France’s Directorate General for Internal Security (DGSI). The exact reason for his arrest has not been made public, but a statement on his social media page indicated that the charges against him would be disclosed in an upcoming press conference.
Seba is the founder of the social justice NGO Urgences Panafricanistes and is a vocal critic of French influence in Africa. He was in France to meet with Beninese opposition figures and visit a sick relative, according to Maud-Salomé Ekila, spokesperson for his NGO. Recently, he had held meetings with civil society groups and media outlets in Spain and Belgium to support the sovereignty movements of Afro-descendant peoples.
In July 2024, Seba’s French citizenship was revoked by the French Interior Ministry due to his openly anti-French position. Following this, he was granted a Nigerien diplomatic passport by the military junta in Niger and appointed as an advisor to General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the coup.
Seba has also been linked to pro-Russian networks, particularly through his connection to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late head of the Wagner paramilitary group. France’s ruling party has described him as a “Russian propaganda tool,” despite his prominence in pan-African circles where he advocates for the full independence of African nations from former colonial powers.
The Baku Initiative Group has condemned Seba’s detention, calling it a violation of human rights and an attempt to suppress the struggle of African nations against neo-colonialism. They have urged the international community to condemn this act and demand Seba’s immediate and unconditional release.
