Algeria: Parliament votes to send troops to Niger

Algerian lawmakers voted on Sunday to allow ground forces to deploy to Niger.

The People's National Assembly, the lower house, ratified the mission after the upper house, the Council of the Nation, had already given unanimous approval earlier that day. This marks a clear shift in policy for a country that has traditionally kept its military at home.

Officials have not released specific numbers for the troop count or a start date for the deployment. The Associated Press reported that the soldiers will protect economic and strategic interests, with a focus on oil facilities in Niger owned by the state energy company Sonatrach. Senator Belkacem Boulghiti of Algeria spoke to reporters regarding the rationale for the move.

The vote builds on a prior military step taken in August. At that time, Algeria sent four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, one transport plane, and an aerial refueling tanker to Niamey. Algerian authorities characterized that earlier air support as a reaction to efforts to destabilize the military government in Niger.

Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved over the past year. Niger’s President Abdourahamane Tchiani visited Algiers in February. Later, Niger’s Defence Minister Salifou Mody traveled to the Algerian capital to discuss security cooperation. These talks followed a period of tension that began when Algeria criticized the 2023 coup in Niger. Relations deteriorated further in April when the Algerian army shot down a Malian drone, leading Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to recall their ambassadors.

The constitutional framework for the deployment is detailed in the 2020 revision of the Algerian constitution. Article 91 permits the president to authorize foreign deployments if they receive the backing of at least two-thirds of the members in each parliamentary chamber. The constitution also allows for participation in peacekeeping operations led by the United Nations, the African Union, or the Arab League.

Algeria’s military budget provides the financial context for this expansion. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that the country spent over $25 billion on its armed forces in 2025. This makes Algeria the largest military spender in Africa. The decision also arrives during a period of diplomatic friction, as Algeria cut ties with the United Arab Emirates in September, citing hostile actions from Abu Dhabi.

The Sahel region presents a direct security challenge for Algiers. The country shares a long border with Mali, Niger, and Libya. Instability in the region has roots in the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi, which saw weapons and fighters, including Tuareg groups, spread into neighboring states. Since 2012, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have collectively experienced six military coups.

Foreign military presence in the region has changed rapidly. France withdrew its troops from Mali in August 2022, from Burkina Faso in February 2023, and from Niger in December 2023. Approximately 100 Russian personnel linked to the Africa Corps arrived in Niamey in April 2024 to provide equipment and training. The United States removed about 1,000 soldiers from Niger in 2024 after the military government ended its security agreement.

The deployment aims to secure energy investments, including the planned Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline. This project would transport Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria. Boulghiti told reporters after the vote, "We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure." He described the action as an adaptation of doctrine to evolving circumstances.