Beninese pan-Africanist Kemi Seba has been released without charges after being held in police custody at the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) on suspicions of foreign interference. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that Seba’s release occurred on October 16, but investigations into the allegations are still ongoing.
According to his lawyer, Juan Branco, Seba was questioned regarding alleged “intelligence with a foreign power… aimed at provoking hostilities or acts of aggression against France,” an offense that could carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Branco criticized the nature of Seba’s arrest, describing it as violent and emphasizing that Seba was in France with a diplomatic passport from Niger to visit his ill father. He expressed concern over what he characterized as the “criminalization of a political opponent and intellectual.”
Seba’s police custody began on October 14, and his release followed after authorities assessed the charges, which included maintaining intelligence relationships that could harm national interests, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Hery Djehuty, coordinator of the group Urgences panafricanistes, was also detained but has since been released without charges.
Kemi Seba, born Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, is known for his controversial past as the former leader of Tribu Ka, a group dissolved in 2006 for promoting racial separation and anti-Semitism. Seba has faced multiple convictions in France for inciting racial hatred and currently leads Urgences panafricanistes, a group with significant influence on social media.
Since August, Seba has been traveling with a diplomatic passport from Niger, serving in an advisory capacity to Niger’s current leadership. In recent years, Seba has organized several protests against the CFA franc in Africa, leading to his frequent arrests, expulsions, or refusals from countries including Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Guinea.
