Par Isabelle Labeyrie
Beyond the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is actively engaged in a different kind of battle across Africa: an influence campaign. Kémi Séba, a prominent social media personality, is identified as a key figure in this network. He recently had his French citizenship revoked.
In Africa, Moscow leverages the backing of influential social media personalities. Among these figures is Kémi Séba, a 42-year-old Beninese pan-Africanist activist, widely recognized for his strong anti-Western viewpoints. His French nationality was recently rescinded through a decree published in the French Official Journal on Tuesday, July 9th, dated the preceding Monday.
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While his name might not resonate with everyone, Kémi Séba holds celebrity status across Francophone Africa. His rallies attract thousands, and his digital footprint includes over a million Facebook followers and YouTube videos garnering hundreds of thousands of views. He recently expressed his sentiments on Twitter, stating: “No more French nationality, glory to God. I am freed from this burden.” Previously convicted for inciting racial hatred, Séba led the “Tribu Ka,” a Black supremacist and antisemitic organization disbanded by French authorities in 2006. Today, he portrays himself as a 21st-century African revolutionary.
Social media presence and global speaking engagements
Kémi Séba first caught the attention of the Kremlin approximately a decade ago, when Vladimir Putin tasked Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late head of the Wagner Group (who passed away on August 23, 2023), with establishing a foothold in Africa. The Wagner Group expanded its operations across the continent through mercenary activities, mineral exploitation, and the cultivation of pro-Russian influence networks. A 2023 investigation by Jeune Afrique magazine revealed that Yevgeny Prigozhin directly funded and commissioned some of Kémi Séba’s actions.
Through his NGO, Urgence Panafricaines, he frequently holds international conferences, drawing large crowds from Brazil to Iran, and including stops in Russia and Venezuela. Notably, he received an invitation to the Russia-Africa summit hosted by Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg. In France, the president of the National Assembly’s Defense commission publicly accused him in 2023 of acting as a “conduit for Russian propaganda” and serving “a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment.”
His primary targets include “Françafrique” and the CFA franc, which he labels a colonial currency. Despite denying any Russian influence, Kémi Séba consistently backs African nations that pivot towards Moscow after disengaging from France. He openly applauds every coup d’état in countries like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. “Other countries will join this dynamic, we are working hard on it,” he declared just a few months prior.
