French nationals Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, along with their Togolese collaborator Fred Vedomey, were arrested on July 27, 2026, in northern Togo while filming a documentary. The three were taken into custody in Lomé, the capital of Togo. According to the French foreign ministry, Mocaër and Pezzani were granted provisional release on September 1, with permission to leave the country, as announced by the Quai d'Orsay, France’s foreign affairs ministry, on September 3. The ministry did not clarify whether the two men intended to return to France. At the end of August, the Togolese judiciary released Sebastian Perez Pezzani under judicial supervision due to his health condition, allowing him to receive treatment in Lomé. His passport had been confiscated. Togolese media reported that provisional release had also been granted to Gaël Mocaër and Fred Vedomey, a claim confirmed by their lawyer, Martial Akakpo. The three men face charges of "false statements," which they deny, according to their legal representative. The Togolese authorities cited "serious evidence" against the trio, including "several irregularities in the preparation and execution" of their mission. The judiciary also accused them of using a drone in the northern part of the country, a region marked by a tense security situation. Since the end of 2021, the far north of Togo has been affected by incursions from jihadists based in neighboring Burkina Faso, a country frequently targeted by groups linked to Al-Qaïda and the Islamic State. These attacks have led to increased security measures in the area. The production company involved in the documentary denied that the three men had failed to comply with the necessary authorizations. The case has drawn attention to the legal and security challenges faced by foreign journalists and filmmakers working in regions affected by regional instability.