Séba promotes anti-French sentiments in West Africa
Find out more about events involving Kémi Séba that led to the spread of anti-French narratives in West Africa
Russia’s strategic move to engage Africa-friendly figures in spreading its propaganda has given rise to a network of pan-African influencers. This group significantly shapes the pro-Russian narratives in West Africa, particularly advocating for reducing French and Western influence in the Sahel, while promoting Russian involvement in the region. A central figure in this network is Kémi Séba, a prominent pro-Russian French-Beninese influencer who has played a pivotal role in fostering anti-French sentiments in West African countries like Chad and Mali.
A Code for Africa (CfA) investigation into these influencers shows that Séba possesses a substantial online presence, including a YouTube channel called ‘Kémi Séba officiel’ and a Facebook account with more than one million followers. These platforms grant him a broad audience to share pro-Russian narratives. He skilfully weaves these perspectives into his content, ensuring they resonate with African audiences. Séba persistently advocates for Africa collaborating with Russia instead of the West and speaks at various conferences organised by entities linked to the Russian government. During the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2023, Séba said the West no longer holds the reins of global leadership. Additionally, he is also reportedly a director of Cameroon-based pro-Russian media outlet Afrique Média TV, according to The Company You Keep report by the Free Russia Foundation.
An investigation by CfA into two recent events involving Séba — his arrest in Benin and the organisation of an anti-French rally in Niger — reveals that these incidents played a part in widespread anti-French narratives. The investigation also uncovered networks of accounts that coordinated to amplify these narratives, sparking extensive online discussions across the affected countries.
Séba’s arrest in Benin sparks anti-French sentiments
Séba’s arrest in Benin sparked a wave of social media activity, revealing anti-French narratives and questions about international influence in Africa.
Séba and his associates Hery Djehuti and Seth Moché were taken into custody on their arrival at Cotonou airport on 17 September 2023, only to be released a few hours later. After their release, Séba posted a video on Facebook, saying that his arrest was orchestrated with French involvement. He argued that African governments collaborated with colonial masters to arrest their own citizens.
Between 17 and 18 September 2023, 50 Facebook accounts shared Séba’s video, receiving more than 1.2 million views and 119,000 interactions on Facebook alone. Séba’s original post received the highest engagement, amassing about 876,000 views and 89,600 interactions. Cameroon-based pro-Russian media outlet Afrique Média TV also shared the video on YouTube, receiving 63,000 views and 2,500 interactions.
The video was also widely shared on TikTok, with 25 accounts that shared it receiving 1.05 million views and 90,400 interactions. Séba’s own TikTok post accounted for more than 75% of the total engagement, with 792,900 views and 68,000 interactions.
Russian state-owned media outlet Sputnik also spread Séba’s accusation of French involvement in his arrest. In an interview with another Russian state-owned media outlet, RT, Séba alleged that his arrest was specifically a result of a collaboration between Beninoise president Patrice Talon, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara. Séba later posted excerpts of this interview on his X page and received 66,500 views and 2,391 interactions. Another Sputnik article echoed this claim.
One of the two individuals arrested with Séba, Djehuti, is his close associate and the coordinator of Séba’s organisation, Urgences Panafricanistes. The second one, Moché ,studied at a Russian university, the Tula State Pedagogical University, according to his Facebook page. He also attended the Russia-Africa summit held in St Petersburg from 27 to 28 July 2023.
Another widely known pro-Russian influencer, Nathalie Yamb, also added her perspective, playing a pivotal role in spreading the anti-French sentiments surrounding Séba’s arrest. Yamb is a Cameroonian-Swiss activist who has strongly denounced the perceived French colonialism in the Sahel while advocating for more Russian involvement in the region. On 16 September 2023, in a post on her X account, Yamb said that Séba’s arrest aimed to obstruct leaders in Africa’s fight for liberation and stressed that ‘these manoeuvres don’t mislead anyone’. Additionally, a network of 43 Facebook accounts used the copy-paste technique to amplify Yamb’s anti-French sentiments further; these posts received 17,577 interactions and 214,800 views on Facebook. Yamb also posted the same message on X, which received about 214,800 views and 5,616 interactions.
On 18 September 2023, Yamb released another video on Facebook claiming that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had accused her and Séba of money laundering, hence Séba’s arrest on 15 September 2023 in Benin. She argued that the FATF applied double standards and accused France of making ransom payments to terrorists for hostages to be released.
It’s worth mentioning that back in December 2020, Algerian officials also accused Paris of paying a ransom to terrorists in northern Mali. Then Algerian prime minister Abdelaziz Djerad decried the payment of ransoms, claiming that the transfers of such large sums to terrorists damages counter-terrorism efforts in the region. Yamb’s claims gained considerable attention, with 15 accounts sharing her post and receiving 295,490 views and 48,873 interactions on Facebook. Additionally, the video received 130,000 views and 14,200 interactions on YouTube.
A closer examination of the accounts that coordinated to spread the anti-French narratives about Séba’s arrest reveals significant international involvement. Of the 108 Facebook accounts, 26 are based in France, 16 in Mali, 15 in Côte d’Ivoire, seven in Italy, and five in Burkina Faso.
Séba’s anti-French rally in Naimey
On 28 September 2023 Séba, alongside the leader of the Union of Pan-Africanist Patriots party, Amadou Oumaro, held an anti-French rally near the French military base in Niamey. According to the poster advertising the rally, it was to show support for the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland — the Niger military junta run by Abdourahamane Tchiani and the Niger Armed Forces — and to denounce ‘France-Africa’. CfA found that this rally also led to widespread anti-French narratives online, with videos about it receiving about 1.3 million views and 92,524 interactions on Facebook alone.
During the rally, Séba and Oumarou expressed their support for the Nigerien junta and warned France and the West against any efforts to stop the revolution against ‘neocolonialism’. Seba posted a video compiled by AfricaNews on his Facebook page, which received about 700,000 views and 53,000 interactions.
Another video of Séba during the rally was posted by Ouragan Web TV’s Facebook page and received 301,000 views and 24,300 interactions. Ouragan Web TV’s chief executive is Samba Mbenba Diaw, the global president of Partenariat Alternatif Russie-Afrique pour le Développement Économique (PARADE), a pro-Russian organisation with a footprint in at least 15 Francophone African countries.
On 29 September 2023, Russian state-owned media outlets RT and Sputnik published video clips of the rally in their news bulletins. These clips received more than 3,000 views and 300 interactions on Facebook, and their broadcast marked a significant step in the amplification of the rally’s impact. Additionally, Afrique Média TV published video clips of the rally, receiving more than 10,010 views and 398 interactions on YouTube.
Oumarou has been supportive of Niger’s junta government and has strong links with pro-Russian actors across the continent. In July 2023, while attending the Russia-Africa summit, he welcomed the coup and urged his followers to join the ongoing pro-coup rallies in Niger. He also has strong ties with Séba. CfA has identified six instances in which they have interacted, including a press conference back in 2018 in Niamey, where Oumarou was then an MP.
Oumarou has also been previously photographed with pro-Russian actors, including influencers Yamb and Egountchi Behanzin; Burkina Faso’s president Ibrahim Traoré; and sanctioned permanent Crimea representative to the Russian Federation, Georgiy L’vovich Muradov, most of whom he met during the Russia-Africa summit. On 02 and 06 August 2023, he was interviewed by Afrique Média TV, stating that the Nigerien junta government enjoyed support from the people and denounced any attempts at a military intervention in Niger.
After the rally on 01 October 2023, a network of 70 Facebook accounts used the copy-paste technique to amplify Séba’s meeting with Niger president Abdourahamane Tchiani; Niger prime minister Ali Lamine Zeinel; and the leadership of Niger’s junta government. The posts received about 48,600 interactions. According to the posts, the leaders told Séba they were ‘counting on him for the total destruction of France-Africa’. Séba pledged his support for the junta, saying they were ending imperialism.
The original post about this meeting was shared on Séba’s Facebook page, where it received about 30,000 interactions. Djehuti and Oumarou also attended the meeting. Of the 70 Facebook accounts involved in the coordinated amplification, 29 are run from Mali, six each from Côte d’Ivoire and France, five from Niger, and four from Burkina Faso. The location of the 10 other accounts is unknown.
Before the protest, a network of 11 Facebook accounts used the copy-paste technique to amplify an announcement by the Nigerien social movement M62, encouraging Nigeriens to join and support Séba’s rally. These posts received 1,290 interactions.
Séba also granted an interview to the Nigerien television station CANAL3 Niger, in which he voiced his criticism of France’s involvement in Africa, urging Nigeriens to participate in the rally. This interview received 142,000 views and 13,600 interactions on Séba’s Facebook page.
On 25 September 2023, at least five TikTok accounts disseminated clips of Séba’s impending arrival in Niamey, together with videos of him addressing a press conference, urging participants to join his rally. These posts received about 34,700 views and 3,500 interactions. During the press conference, Séba expressed appreciation for organisations like Mouvement M62 Moutountchi Bourtchintarey (M62) and Front Patriotique, commending their efforts in the fight for African sovereignty. He called for the withdrawal of French troops from Niger and criticised Western influence over African leaders. Oumarou was also present, lending his support.
On the same day, 25 Facebook accounts used the copy-paste technique to amplify Séba’s announcement that he would arrive in Niamey. The posts received a total of 11,549 interactions on Facebook.
On 18 September 2023, another cell of 15 Facebook accounts used the copy-paste technique to amplify Séba’s expected participation in an anti-French rally dubbed the ‘big pan-African meeting’. These posts received 1,455 interactions. The original post about the rally was first shared by Urgences Panafricanistes Nigeriennes, the Facebook page of the Nigerien chapter of Séba’s organisation, Urgences Panafricanistes. Key among the accounts involved in the amplification was Oumarou’s Facebook page.
The activities of pro-Russian influencers like Séba go beyond just shaping stories: they are rallying support for anti-French narratives in West Africa. The cross-publishing of pro-Russian content between these influencers and media outlets further points to the deep impact of pro-Russian influence in Africa’s information space.
Amid all this, one can’t help but wonder about the lasting effects of these influencers on Africa. Their power to shape public opinion and gather support for increased Russian involvement in the continent sparks concerns about the long-term stability and independence of Africa. It’s not just about politics: it’s about how real people and communities are being influenced to think in a certain way, and what this could mean for the future.
This article was co-written by iLAB investigative analyst Eliud Akwei and iLAB deputy manager Mitchelle Awuor and edited by iLAB copy editor Theresa Mallinson and iLAB managing editor Athandiwe Saba.
