Criticism of the AES, fake press release: what do we know about Kemi Seba's phone recordings?

Following Kemi Seba's arrest in South Africa eight days ago, several excerpts from the same phone conversation leaked online, highlighting the pan-African activist's critical stance against the juntas of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and Russia. The source of the leaks remains unknown, but the conversation has been authenticated by the other party involved, the singer Zaga Bambo.

Since Kemi Seba's arrest in South Africa on April 13 for "alleged acts of facilitating illegal entry into Zimbabwe", several recordings of a recent telephone conversation involving the pan-African activist have circulated widely online.

These various audio recordings, taken from the same conversation and totaling just under ten minutes, were shared in the days following his arrest on several accounts on X and TikTok, accumulating hundreds of thousands of views. They sparked a wave of reactions and questions regarding positions rarely taken by the president of the NGO Urgences panafricanistes.

"Now, being Pan-African means being the atalaku of the AES"

Relations with members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) or Russia: Kemi Seba can be heard delivering an openly hostile speech towards the ruling juntas of the AES countries.

He accuses the military juntas of using the Pan-Africanist struggle to "secure their presidency" and laments the manipulation and "capture" of this movement by these powers. "Now, being Pan-African means singing the praises of the AES. I'm not comfortable with that," he can be heard saying. Kemi Seba is also critical of the entourage of Niger's junta leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, for whom he has served as a special advisor since 2024, an entourage he sees as composed solely of people interested in "business and money."

For several years, Kemi Seba has been criticized for his close ties to Russia. A 2023 investigation by Jeune Afrique, Arte, and Die Welt revealed that Wagner had funded $440,000 worth of his NGO's operations between 2018 and 2019. Yet, in these audio recordings, he denigrates the Russian presence on African soil. "I don't give a damn about the Russians. [...] When I see people celebrating Vladimir Putin's birthday in Burkina Faso today or yesterday, I feel like crying. These are people who don't like Black people," he adds, explaining that they are "neither friends" nor "messiahs."

He believes, however, that Russia is nonetheless helping to "contribute" to the "interests" of the anti-colonial struggle of the Pan-African movement, claiming, for example, that it is currently working with the ESA countries to destabilize the situation in Ivory Coast. "I know that the ESA and the Russians are contributing to poisoning the atmosphere to weaken the regime of [Alassane] Ouattara [President of the Republic of Ivory Coast], that's a fact," the activist can be heard saying.

These recordings also shed some light on the funding of his NGO, Pan-African Emergencies: Kemi Seba claims, for example, that he charges opponents who seek contacts with his network in Russia or other countries. "Anyone who wants contacts, Iranians, Hezbollah, Russians [...]: okay, you pay for that through the organization, and we'll put you in touch."

A conversation from October 2025

Are these audio recordings authentic? The source of the leaks remains unknown, but the phone conversation did indeed take place, as confirmed by the speaker, Zaga Bambo. This Togolese singer and activist, a vocal critic of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé online, explained the origin of the conversation on his Facebook page on April 19, stating that it took place in "October 2025".

While stating he was "deeply saddened by Kemi Seba's arrest," Zaga Bambo nevertheless asserted that he had never had "any connection" with the pan-African activist. The singer explained that he agreed to speak with Seba after he contacted him, but only to denounce his rhetoric on Togo and tell him "that his support for Faure Gnassingbé's regime is in complete contradiction with the pan-Africanist ideals he professes."

For several months, the support of various pan-African activists such as Nathalie Yamb or Franklin Nyamsi for Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has caused incomprehension among part of the opposition to the head of state, who has been criticized since his continued rule through a major change to the Constitution in 2024.

The Observers team was also able to confirm with Whispeak, a company specializing in voice biometrics and synthetic voice detection, that none of the audio clips circulating online had been modified or generated by AI. Several factual elements of the conversation confirm that it likely took place in October, such as the mention of the celebration in Burkina Faso of Vladimir's birthday, who was born on October 7th.

The investigative collective All Eyes on Wagner, which compiled the audio recordings on X, also believes that several elements of the conversation corroborate their information. "The details of the financial arrangement confirm our hypotheses regarding the key role of Pan-African Emergencies as a vehicle for receiving funds," the collective told France 24.

Regarding the source of the leak, Togolese activist Zaga Bambo maintains that he did not record the conversation, contrary to the accusations levelled against him online. Interviewed by the France 24 Observers team on April 17, the singer stated that the conversation lasted between 45 minutes and an hour and took place "on the Telegram app," on a relative's phone.

Did Kemi Seba himself record the conversation? Still in pre-trial detention in South Africa, neither Kemi Seba nor his organization Urgences panafricaines, contacted by our editorial staff, have yet reacted to these documents.

Pro-AES account disinformation

A few hours after the release of these audio recordings, the documents were exploited by accounts opposed to the pan-African activist. For example, a fake statement from the Nigerien authorities, circulated by numerous anti-AES accounts on X and Facebook, claimed that the Nigerien junta, officially called the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), had revoked Kemi Seba's diplomatic passport and terminated his position as special advisor to Abdourahamane Tiani following his criticism of AES and Niger.

Kemi Seba received this diplomatic passport from the Nigerien government in August 2024, a few days after being stripped of his French nationality by the French government.

But the document, which went viral, was never actually published on the official communication channels of the Nigerien junta, on Facebook or X. It seemed credible despite several spelling mistakes because it used the same graphic charter as the CNSP.

On April 19, Juan Branco, one of Kemi Seba's lawyers, released a document dated April 17 in which the Nigerien ambassador to South Africa confirmed that Kemi Seba does indeed hold a Nigerien diplomatic passport. This point was also publicly confirmed by Nigerien Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangaré to the media outlet Voxafrica.

Given its widespread circulation, the origin of the fake CNSP press release suggests an anti-AES disinformation campaign. According to our research, it was initially shared by the Scoop Africa account. In March, the Observers team and RFI's Info-Verif unit identified this account as one of the main players in a disinformation network targeting the ruling juntas within the AES.

Published at 4:03 p.m. on April 16 on Facebook by the Scoop Africa account, the press release was relayed two minutes later on X by the other central account in this disinformation network, La Dépêche Africaine, before being picked up online by other news accounts in the region.

Kemi Seba still in South Africa

Since December 2025 and the failed coup attempt in Benin, the Beninese activist has been prosecuted in Benin for "apology for crimes against state security and incitement to rebellion" after releasing a video in support of the coup plotters and hailing "the day of liberation" of Benin.

Subject to an extradition request from Benin, Kemi Seba has sought political asylum in South Africa, according to his lawyer. The pan-African activist appeared in court in Pretoria on Monday, April 20. He, along with his son and a South African national, is accused of violating immigration laws. Their bail hearing has been postponed until April 29.