In brief
Algeria has approved the first deployment of its forces outside its borders since 1973, sending troops to northern Niger. The mission will safeguard the planned gas pipeline linking Nigeria through Niger to Algeria and protect key energy sites near the Libyan frontier. The decision comes after a broken diplomatic streak and a request from Niger’s defence ministry to counter Islamist insurgents linked to al‑Qaeda and ISIS. 148 of 174 senators backed the plan in an emergency vote, while the lower house confirmed the move. It marks a pivot in Algeria’s long‑standing policy of non‑intervention and underscores growing Sahel insecurity.
Algeria’s decision to station troops in northern Niger marks the first time its army has been sent abroad since 1973. The move follows a high‑level visit from Niger’s defence minister and a plea for assistance against the growing threat of armed groups, some linked to al‑Qaeda or the Islamic State.
The new deployment will mainly protect the planned gas pipeline that would run from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria, a key energy corridor for the North African nation. Soldiers are expected to secure facilities near the Libyan border where security risks are highest.
The decision was ratified in an emergency session of the upper house of the Algerian parliament, where 148 of 174 senators voted in favour. The lower house subsequently approved the plan, bringing the mission under the provisions of a 2020 constitutional clause that allows overseas military deployment.
"We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but to secure economic infrastructure," Senator Belkacem Boulghiti noted after the vote.
Algeria’s state‑owned oil and gas company, Sonatrach, has recently signed an exploration deal with Niger, potentially unlocking large oil reserves in the Kafra region. Two wells could hold 168 million and 100 million barrels of oil, offers the agency said.
The relationship between the two neighbours has been turbulent: Algeria denounced the 2023 coup that toppled Niger’s elected president and later faced a diplomatic crisis after shooting down a Malian drone. Relations improved after President Tchiani visited Algiers in February 2026, and Algerian President Tebboune later donated four helicopters and supplied fighter jets to help quell a coup attempt in Niger.
As the Sahel continues to face mounting security challenges, Algeria’s troop deployment signals a shift towards a more active regional security role. The exact number of soldiers and timelines remain undisclosed, but the decision marks a historic change in Algerian foreign military policy.
