Who really controls Niger’s 1.8 billion FCFA monthly security fund?
At the highest levels of Niger’s government, a fierce struggle is unfolding over a military program whose stakes go far beyond security alone. At the heart of the matter: the Commandement des Forces de Protection et de Développement (CFPD), General Salifou Mody, CNSP leader Abdourahamane Tiani, former Finance Minister and Prime Minister Lamine Zeine, and a monthly allocation of 1.8 billion FCFA.
The CFPD: a force at the center of strategic interests
On May 9, 2024, General Abdourahamane Tiani signed decree No. 2024-309/P/CNSP/MDN, establishing the Commandement des Forces de Protection et de Développement. This unit is tasked with protecting the country’s strategic infrastructure and sites: mining and oil installations, corridors, and pipelines. The Ministry of Defense confirmed the creation of this structure, which secures strategic sites and corridors. In parallel, the recruitment of 10,000 young people in 2024 boosted the ranks of the Nigerien Armed Forces. The project addresses a security imperative and accompanies the growing strength of the military apparatus.
Article 28 and the 1.8 billion figure
Article 28 of the decree sets a minimum daily standby allowance (Prime Unique d’Astreinte, PUA) of 12,000 FCFA per man, while imposing a financial contribution on companies benefiting from the security services. For a force of 5,000 men, the amounts break down as follows:
- Per day: 5,000 men × 12,000 FCFA = 60 million FCFA.
- Per month (30 days): 1.8 billion FCFA.
- Per year: 21.9 billion FCFA.
These figures represent the financial reality of the program, materialized through contracts signed with companies, sums paid, and personnel deployed. This is the very core of the power struggle within the regime.
Defense versus Finance
General Salifou Mody pushed for the CFPD’s implementation. General Tiani signed the decree under direct pressure from his Defense Minister. After the signing, the CNSP leader ordered Finance Minister Lamine Zeine to block the CFPD’s financial provisions. As a result, the structure was created but deprived of the means to operate. General Mody thus suffered a direct political blockage of his project.
The Mody-Zeine dispute
Lamine Zeine is the central point of friction. The Finance Ministry deliberately blocked the budgetary translation of the military program. By January 2026, Lamine Zeine combined the roles of Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, while Salifou Mody served as Minister of State for Defense. Mody secured the removal of the Finance portfolio from Zeine, then forced his departure from the Prime Ministership. The conflict over the CFPD destroyed trust among the pillars of power.
Mody at the Prime Ministership
The reshuffling of power required Zeine’s exit. General Mody took the helm of government and imposed his condition: holding both the Prime Minister and Defense Minister posts. He thus concentrated the political, military, and administrative levers of the regime in his hands.
Damolleydi: the second battle
Faced with the CFPD blockage, the regime launched the general mobilization “Damolleydi” to rally volunteers and existing structures. General Mody took charge of the committee for this mobilization, sidelining General Mohamed Toumba, Minister of the Interior. Mody found himself at the head of this strategic initiative but deliberately slowed down Damolleydi’s implementation. The program lost its visibility, supplanted by autonomous local structures.
Control over resources
This affair locks the state apparatus around three axes:
- Command: control over personnel assigned to strategic sites.
- Missions: designation of infrastructure to secure and setting of priorities.
- Money: control over contributing companies and management of the financial flows generated.
Article 28 of the decree governs this financial mechanism of 1.8 billion FCFA per month.
Who controls the system?
This sum of 1.8 billion is the direct financial stake of the program. It confirms the political dimension of the CFPD, at the crossroads of strategic resources, contributing companies, and the chain of command. Beyond the rivalry between Tiani, Mody, and Zeine, the winner of this confrontation holds exclusive control over Niger’s men, missions, and resources. Behind these personal quarrels, total mastery of the state apparatus is at stake.