Algeria is deploying troops to neighbouring Niger in what marks its first foreign military deployment since sending forces to Egypt during the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, following a visit to Algiers by Niger’s defence minister.
The deployment comes as Niger seeks support against armed groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State. Algeria has significant economic interests in Niger, including a planned gas pipeline that would carry Nigerian gas through Niger to Algeria. The troops are expected to protect energy facilities in northern Niger, near the Libyan border.
Algeria’s upper house of parliament held an emergency session on Sunday to vote on the proposed deployment. According to AFP, 148 of the 174 senators voted in favour, and the decision was later backed by the lower house. The timing and number of soldiers to be deployed have not been announced.
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The move marks the first use of a 2020 constitutional provision allowing overseas military deployments and represents a significant shift in Algeria’s long-standing policy against sending forces abroad. “We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure,” Algerian senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters after the vote.
Algeria’s state-owned energy company, Sonatrach, has also signed an agreement with Niger’s petroleum ministry to explore for oil in the Kafra region. Two exploration wells are estimated to contain 168 million and 100 million barrels respectively, according to Reuters.
The deployment comes as the two neighbours rebuild ties after a diplomatic rift in 2025, when Niger recalled its ambassador to Algiers. Relations between the two countries have not always been smooth in recent years. Algeria condemned the 2023 coup that ousted Niger’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum and brought General Abdourahamane Tchiani to power. Tensions rose again in 2025 after Algeria shot down a Malian drone near its border, prompting Niger to recall its ambassador in solidarity with Mali. Relations have since improved. Tchiani visited Algeria in February 2026, and in late August, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent fighter jets to Niger to help suppress a coup attempt and donated four military helicopters.
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