General Mohamed Toumba, Niger’s influential Minister of Interior and a pivotal figure within the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) since the coup d’état on July 26, 2023, is now embroiled in a highly sensitive affair. The senior military official faces indirect implications in an illicit scheme involving the commercialization of residency permits for travel between West Africa and Europe, with direct involvement attributed to his spouse.
A clandestine network targeting the Schengen Area
Previously undisclosed within diplomatic and security circles in Niamey, the investigation centers on the Spanish Embassy in Niger. The wife of General Toumba, a former associate of the chancery, is alleged to have exploited her past position to orchestrate an extensive network facilitating Schengen visa trafficking.
The operational framework of this now-dismantled network relied on highly lucrative clandestine services:
- Pricing: Visas were reportedly sold for sums ranging between 2 and 5 million CFA francs (approximately 3,048 to 7,622 euros).
- Mechanism: Applicants were exempted from direct engagement with consular services, with all necessary procedures managed remotely.
- Targeted Clientele: The system predominantly attracted Malian nationals. These individuals benefited from an unlawful waiver of the mandatory residency card verification in Niger, a document typically required to bypass the Spanish Embassy in Bamako. Upon their arrival in Madrid, local facilitators immediately provided support.
Preliminary findings from the ongoing inquiry suggest that approximately 1,500 Malian citizens may have traveled to Europe through this illicit channel.
Financial ramifications and significant arrests
Investigations spearheaded by the Directorate General of Documentation and External Security (DGDSE), under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Souleymane Balla-Arabé, have uncovered suspicious financial flows designed to launder proceeds across the region, notably towards Sénégal.
Agents from the external intelligence service have executed several crucial arrests:
- Maty Cissokho Toumba, the spouse of the Interior Minister, underwent questioning by investigators.
- Samsoudine Idrissa, identified as the logistical coordinator of the network and an associate of General Toumba, was apprehended by the DGDSE immediately after departing the minister’s residence.
- Another alleged accomplice, reportedly recruited by the minister’s wife shortly before her departure from the Spanish Embassy a year prior, is also under judicial scrutiny.
Escalating political tensions within the state leadership
The initiation of this procedure, managed by intelligence services (DGDSE) rather than conventional judicial police, has intensified internal rivalries within the ruling military junta. This scandal further exacerbates the atmosphere of distrust prevalent within the transitional regime.
The transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, is increasingly observed to be consolidating power among members of his own Haoussa community, potentially marginalizing other high-ranking officials from the Zarma community. This development directly weakens prominent Zarma cadres within the regime, including General Mohamed Toumba, who holds the third-highest position in the junta, and General Salifou Modi, the highly respected Minister of Defense.