Algeria to Deploy Troops to Niger in First Foreign Mission Since 1973

Algeria’s parliament has approved the deployment of military personnel to neighbouring Niger, marking a major shift in the North African country’s longstanding reluctance to send troops abroad and its first such deployment since 1973.

The approval, granted on Sunday, October 25, authorises the deployment of Algerian army units to Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border. However, the number of soldiers involved and the precise date of their deployment have not been officially announced.

According to Reuters, the planned deployment would take place at a former French military base previously used during Operation Barkhane, France’s regional counterterrorism operation in the Sahel.

Algerian Senator Belkacem Boulghiti said the mission was intended to protect the country’s economic and strategic interests, particularly its oil installations in Niger, rather than engage in combat.

“We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure,” Boulghiti told reporters after the parliamentary vote, according to the Associated Press.

The decision represents Algeria’s first foreign military deployment since it sent troops to support Egypt during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The country has traditionally favoured diplomacy, national sovereignty and non-intervention in conflicts beyond its borders.

The deployment comes amid growing insecurity across the Sahel, where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have faced persistent attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The three countries are also governed by military leaders who took power through coups in recent years.

Algeria shares a long desert border with Niger and has increasingly viewed instability in the region as a direct security concern. The planned mission is also expected to protect investments in the energy sector, including projects linked to Algeria’s state-owned energy company, Sonatrach.

Sonatrach is working with Niger and Nigeria on the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a project intended to transport Nigerian natural gas through Niger and Algeria for export to international markets, particularly Europe. Algeria also has oil exploration interests in Niger.

The parliamentary decision follows an improvement in relations between Algiers and Niamey after a period of diplomatic tension. Algeria had condemned Niger’s July 2023 military coup, while relations deteriorated further after a dispute involving the shooting down of a Malian drone by Algerian forces in April 2025. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso subsequently recalled their ambassadors from Algiers.

Relations have since improved, with Niger’s President Abdourahamane Tiani visiting Algeria in February 2026 and Niger’s Defence Minister, Salifou Mody, travelling to Algiers in October for security discussions. The two countries also signed a military cooperation protocol, although its details were not made public.

In August, Algeria also sent military aircraft to Niger following what its authorities described as an attempt to destabilise the country’s military-led government. The move demonstrated growing security cooperation between the neighbours.

The latest decision signals a potentially significant change in Algeria’s regional military posture as it seeks to protect its borders, energy assets and strategic interests in the Sahel. Its implementation and the precise scope of the mission remain to be confirmed.