Niger: 1.8 billion FCFA monthly military fund at centre of Tiani-Mody-Zeine power struggle

At the highest levels of Niger’s government, a fierce battle is being waged over a military mechanism 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 head Abdourahamane Tiani, former Finance Minister and Prime Minister Lamine Zeine, and a monthly envelope of 1.8 billion FCFA.

Officially, the CFPD exists to protect Niger’s strategic infrastructure. Behind the scenes, however, power players are clashing over three levers of control: manpower, missions, and financial resources.

The CFPD: a force at the centre of strategic interests

On 9 May 2024, General Abdourahamane Tiani signed decree no. 2024-309/P/CNSP/MDN establishing the Commandement des Forces de Protection et de Développement. This mechanism bolsters the protection of the country’s strategic infrastructure and sites: mining and oil installations, corridors, and pipelines. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the creation of this structure, which secures strategic sites and corridors. At the same time, the recruitment of 10,000 young people in 2024 is boosting the ranks of the Nigerien Armed Forces. The project responds to a security rationale and accompanies the growing strength of the military apparatus.

Article 28 and the 1.8 billion figure

Article 28 of the decree sets a Prime Unique d’Astreinte (PUA) of at least 12,000 FCFA per man per day, while imposing a financial contribution on the companies concerned by the security arrangement. 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 mechanism, materialised through contracts signed with companies, sums paid, and troops deployed. This is the very core of the power struggle within the regime.

Defence versus Finance

General Salifou Mody pushed for the CFPD’s implementation. General Tiani signed the decree under direct pressure from his Defence Minister. After the signing, the CNSP head ordered Finance Minister Lamine Zeine to block the CFPD’s financial provisions. The result: the structure was created but stripped 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 mechanism. In 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 Defence. 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 reconfiguration of power came through Zeine’s departure. General Mody took the helm of government and imposed his condition: combining the posts of Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. He thus concentrated in his hands the political, military, and administrative levers of the regime.

Damolleydi: the second battle

Faced with the CFPD blockage, the regime launched the general mobilisation “Damolleydi” to rally volunteers and existing structures. General Mody took charge of the committee for this mobilisation, sidelining General Mohamed Toumba, Minister of the Interior. Mody ended up leading this strategic initiative but deliberately slowed the implementation of Damolleydi. The mechanism 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 be secured and setting of priorities.
• Money: control over contributing companies and management of generated financial flows.

Article 28 of the decree governs this financial mechanism of 1.8 billion FCFA per month.

Controlling the system

This 1.8 billion figure is the direct financial stake of the mechanism. 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 showdown holds exclusive control over Niger’s manpower, missions, and resources. Behind these actor quarrels, it is total mastery of the state apparatus that is being locked down.

By Claire Mvondo — Security and State Policy Expert