Algerian parliament approves deployment of troops to Niger

Algeria's parliament voted on Sunday evening in favor of a decision to deploy Algerian troops to Niger.

According to the official Algerian News Agency, the National People's Assembly approved by majority the request submitted by President Abdelmajid Tebboune regarding the deployment of units from the People's National Army outside the country (Republic of Niger).

The upper house of parliament, the Council of the Nation, also unanimously approved the decision to send troops abroad.

Under Article 91 of the Algerian constitution, sending military units abroad requires the approval of two-thirds of each parliamentary chamber, in separate sessions for each chamber, which the country witnessed today.

According to local media, this marks the first time Algerian forces have been deployed overseas since the October War in 1973, when Egypt and Syria fought against Israel.

At the end of August, Algeria's Ministry of Defense announced it had sent two patrols of Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets (four aircraft) to Niger to support its army amid ongoing instability in the country.

Niger has seen a surge in attacks by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, particularly in the border triangle with Mali and Burkina Faso, and along its southern border with Nigeria.

Relations between the two countries have improved this year. Niger's President Abdourahmane Tiani visited Algeria in February, and Niger's Defense Minister Salifou Moudi traveled there on October 20 with a delegation of defense experts for security cooperation talks.

Algeria has also deepened its economic interests in Niger. The state energy company Sonatrach is working with Niger and Nigeria on the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which aims to create a new export route for African gas to international markets, especially Europe.

In 2022, Sonatrach announced it had signed a production-sharing agreement with Niger's Ministry of Petroleum for the Kafra region, where two exploration wells hold combined proven reserves of 268 million barrels.