Kemi Seba arrested in South Africa after seeking asylum

He faces an arrest warrant in Benin, where he is accused of supporting a December coup attempt. Seba's lawyer, Sesedi Phooko, stated that they are currently only charged with illegal immigration, an accusation they dispute given his asylum application. Seba, who has been in South Africa for five months, had overstayed his two-month visa, according to a source close to him.

He was arrested alongside François van der Merwe, leader of the Afrikaner identity group Bittereinders. The prosecutor requested a report to verify Seba's passport authenticity, residency status, and money laundering suspicions. Seba, head of the NGO "Urgences panafricanistes," has been critical of France and African governments allied with Paris.

He praised the December 7 "day of liberation" in Benin during the failed coup attempt. Seba, 45, was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and holds a Nigerien diplomatic passport granted by the junta that came to power in 2023. He was previously held in France in October 2024 over suspected ties to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, but was later released, though the investigation continues.

Both Seba and van der Merwe reportedly have ties to Russia. Seba's arrest coincides with the circulation of private recordings where he criticizes military leaders in several Sahel countries and Russia.