In a coordinated sting operation carried out at a Pretoria shopping center earlier this week, South African law enforcement has detained high-profile French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba, who was wanted internationally for charges tied to an alleged failed coup attempt in his home country of Benin. Alongside Seba, 45, officials also took his 18-year-old son and a third individual accused of acting as a paid smuggler into custody, as the group was reportedly plotting an escape route to Europe via neighboring Zimbabwe.
Seba, whose full legal name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, has built a large international following as a vocal Pan-Africanist, known above all for his vehement opposition to long-standing French political and cultural influence across the African continent. He currently leads the Pan-Africanist Emergency NGO, an organization focused on advancing African sovereignty and cross-continental solidarity, and counts 1.5 million followers across his social media platforms.
The arrest stems from charges filed by Beninese authorities, who accuse Seba of inciting rebellion after he openly supported a December 2025 attempted coup against Benin’s sitting government. The mutiny, carried out by rogue soldiers, was quickly defeated within hours with security support from Nigeria and France, but Seba released a public video calling the attempted overthrow a “day of liberation” for Benin, a former French colony. That statement prompted Benin to issue an international arrest warrant for the activist. Preliminary investigations from South African police also confirmed Seba is wanted on additional criminal charges related to crimes against the state in his native France.
The smuggling facilitator detained alongside Seba and his son had reportedly been paid 250,000 South African rand, equal to roughly $15,000, to help the group cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, from where they planned to travel onward to Europe, according to an official statement released by South African police this Thursday. All three detainees appeared in court on Wednesday and remain in police custody ahead of a next hearing scheduled for 20 April, with formal extradition proceedings already underway.
Seba’s history of political activism has long been marked by controversy. He has been convicted multiple times in France on charges of inciting racial hatred, and has repeatedly faced accusations of anti-Semitism. In 2024, France stripped him of his citizenship, a move he responded to by publicly burning his French passport and declaring he had been “freed from the burden of French nationality.”
He has also been repeatedly accused by Western officials of spreading Russian propaganda across the African continent. Thomas Gassilloud, who chaired France’s National Assembly defence committee in 2024, labeled Seba a mouthpiece for Russian interests, claiming he served a foreign power that actively fuels anti-French sentiment across West Africa. Later that same year, the ruling military junta in Niger granted Seba a diplomatic passport naming him a special adviser to junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani. Like neighboring military-led governments in Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s junta cut military counterterrorism cooperation with France after seizing power and has aligned itself closely with Russia instead.
As of this report, Seba has not issued any public comment responding to the charges against him.