Niger’s Minister of Interior, the influential General Mohamed Toumba, has found himself at the heart of an exceptionally sensitive matter. A pivotal figure within the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) since the coup d’état of July 26, 2023, the high-ranking official is indirectly implicated in an illicit scheme involving the sale of residency permits for travel between West Africa and Europe, with his wife directly involved.

a covert network facilitating access to the schengen area

Previously kept under wraps within Niamey’s diplomatic and security circles, the controversy centers on the Spanish Embassy in Niger. General Toumba’s wife, a former associate of this chancellery, is suspected of leveraging her past position to orchestrate an extensive network for Schengen visa trafficking.

The operational methodology of this now-dismantled network relied on clandestine services that were notably lucrative:

• Pricing: Visas were sold for amounts ranging from 2 to 5 million CFA francs (approximately 3,048 to 7,622 euros) each.
• Process: Applicants were not required to appear at consular offices, with all procedures handled remotely.
• Targeted Clientele: The system predominantly attracted Malian nationals. These individuals were illegally exempted from the mandatory verification of a Nigerien residency card, a document typically required to bypass the Spanish Embassy in Bamako. Upon their arrival in Madrid, local facilitators immediately met them.

Initial findings from the ongoing investigation suggest that nearly 1,500 Malians may have traveled to Europe through this illicit channel.

financial ramifications and key arrests

Investigations conducted by the Directorate General of Documentation and External Security (DGDSE), under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel Souleymane Balla-Arabé, have uncovered suspicious financial flows aimed at laundering funds across the region, particularly towards Senegal.

Agents from the external intelligence service have made several significant arrests:

• Maty Cissokho Toumba, the spouse of the Interior Minister, was questioned by investigators.
• Samsoudine Idrissa, identified as the network’s logistical coordinator and an associate of General Toumba, was apprehended by the DGDSE just as he was departing from the minister’s residence.
• Another alleged accomplice, reportedly recruited by the minister’s wife shortly before her departure from the Spanish Embassy approximately a year ago, is also under judicial scrutiny.

political tensions at the highest echelons of government

The initiation of this inquiry, spearheaded by the DGDSE intelligence services rather than conventional judicial police, is intensifying internal rivalries within the ruling military junta. This scandal further exacerbates the atmosphere of distrust pervading the transitional regime.

Transitional President General Abdourahamane Tchiani is increasingly observed to be consolidating power among members of his own Haoussa community, often at the expense of other senior officials from the Zarma community. This affair directly undermines the highest-ranking Zarma cadres within the regime, notably General Mohamed Toumba, who holds the position of the junta’s number three, and General Salifou Modi, the highly respected Minister of Defense.