Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemned on Monday, November 10, the prolonged "arbitrary detention" of Ali Moumouni , a Beninese journalist working for the investigative media outlet Olofofo. Arrested in Cotonou on July 16, RSF asserts that this arrest took place "without official grounds or an arrest warrant."

A series of arrests and serious accusations

The arrest of Ali Moumouni comes in a tense context surrounding the media outlet Olofofo, known for its critical positions towards the Beninese government and banned from broadcasting since March 2025.

1. Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè , founder and publishing director of Olofofo, had been arrested six days earlier, on July 10. Although he had political refugee status in Togo, he was arrested in Abidjan, Ivory Coast , while attending a trade fair, then extradited to Benin where he is being held in the Ouidah civil prison.
2. The Ivorian government claimed to have acted within the framework of judicial cooperation and ignored Mr. Sossoukpè's political refugee status.
3. He is being prosecuted on charges including "harassment through a computer system, rebellion and advocating terrorism" .
4. Ali Moumouni , for his part, was "arrested" while he was in training in Cotonou. According to a family member, it took "days to find him."
5. He was placed under arrest warrant on July 21 by the Court for the Repression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (Criet).
6. He faces several charges, including "incitement to violence" , "harassment by electronic communications" and "apology for terrorism" .
7. Since his detention, "no family visits have been allowed" .

RSF denounces political motivations

RSF believes that Ali Moumouni's detention is directly linked to his collaboration with Olofofo since September 2024.

Sadibou Marong , director of RSF's sub-Saharan Africa desk, stated that "Ali Moumouni's pre-trial detention is dragging on" and that "simple professional collaboration cannot justify the detention of a journalist." He described the case as "unjust and politically motivated" and demanded the immediate release of both journalists.

For his part, the spokesperson for the Beninese government, Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji, had stressed in July that freedom of expression "comes with the duty to take responsibility for, or at the very least prove, one's allegations" .

Benin is currently ranked 92nd out of 180 in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index established by RSF.