Algerian Parliament Votes to Station Troops in Niger
The move aims to protect Sonatrach oil assets in a region where French and US forces have recently withdrawn.
By Maya Shah ·
Algeria has maintained a long-standing policy of avoiding foreign military intervention, but its legislature voted Sunday to send soldiers across its southern border. The People's National Assembly ratified the deployment after the Council of the Nation gave its unanimous approval earlier in the day.
Officials have not yet released specific numbers for the troop contingent or a timeline for their arrival in Niamey. The mission is designed to secure oil installations owned by Sonatrach, the state-run energy company. Senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters that the forces would protect Algeria's economic and strategic interests in the region.
This approval follows a rapid increase in Algerian military activity in the area. In late August, Algiers dispatched four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 jets, a transport plane, and an aerial refueling aircraft to Niger. Authorities described this move as a response to an attempt to destabilize the military-led government in Niamey.
The decision arrives as diplomatic ties between the two nations improve. President Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger visited Algeria in February. His defense minister, Salifou Mody, traveled to Algiers later in the year to discuss security cooperation. This warming trend contrasts with a crisis in April when Algerian forces shot down a Malian drone, prompting Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to recall their ambassadors.
The Sahel region faces persistent security challenges that affect Algeria's borders with Mali, Niger, and Libya. Instability has been linked to the spread of weapons and fighters from Libya after the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2012, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced six military coups, driven by governance failures and armed rebellions.
Foreign military presence in the region is shifting. France withdrew its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2022 and 2023. The United States pulled approximately 1,000 soldiers from Niger in 2024, ending a security cooperation agreement. Russia has filled some of this vacuum, with about 100 personnel from the Africa Corps group arriving in Niamey in April 2024.
Algeria possesses the largest military budget in Africa, with spending exceeding $25 billion in 2025 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The 2020 constitutional revision allows the president to authorize overseas deployments if at least two-thirds of parliament members in both chambers support the action.
Senator Boulghiti stated that the mission is not a war effort but a way to secure economic infrastructure. He described the move as an adaptation of doctrine to meet new challenges in the Sahel. The deployment also aims to safeguard the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a planned route for transporting Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria.
Source: Al Jazeera
