Algeria’s president orders troop deployment to neighbouring Niger
Niger requested troops to secure shared energy interests in what would be Algeria’s first deployment abroad since 1973.
Key points
- Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered troops to neighbouring Niger after both parliamentary chambers approved the deployment in an emergency session.
- Niger's authorities requested the military assistance, and the troops would protect Algerian oil facilities and economic infrastructure there.
- It would be Algeria's first overseas military deployment since 1973, and no details were given on how many soldiers would be sent or when.
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered troops to neighbouring Niger to protect energy and economic interests the two countries share. Algeria's presidency announced the decision on Monday, after both chambers of parliament approved the deployment in an emergency session on Sunday.
The presidency said authorities in Niger had requested military assistance. If carried out, it would be Algeria's first overseas military deployment since 1973, when Algerian soldiers were sent to support Egypt during the Arab-Israeli war. The move departs from Algeria's longstanding reluctance to intervene militarily beyond its borders.
What soldiers would protect
Algerian Senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters after Sunday's vote that the soldiers would protect economic infrastructure, particularly Algerian oil facilities in Niger. He said Algeria was "not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger" and described the mission as a response to changing security conditions in the Sahel region.
Algeria's state-owned energy company, Sonatrach, has been working with Niger on the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria for export to European markets. It has not been announced how many soldiers will be sent or when.
not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger
— Algerian Senator Belkacem Boulghiti
Constitutional basis and regional context
A 2020 constitutional reform allows the president to authorise overseas deployments with the approval of at least two-thirds of legislators in each parliamentary chamber. The presidency said the deployment decision was made under these provisions.
Algeria sent fighter jets and support aircraft to Niger in August after what Algerian officials described as an attempt to destabilise its military government. Niger and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have faced years of attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and all three are governed by military leaders who seized power in coups and formed the Alliance of Sahel States.
Relations between Algeria and Niger
The deployment follows an improvement in relations between Algeria and Niger, which has been led by General Abdourahamane Tiani since a 2023 military coup that Algeria initially condemned. Tensions deepened in April last year after Algerian forces shot down a Malian drone near the border, prompting the three alliance members to recall their ambassadors from Algiers.
