Arabic version: الجزائر توافق على نشر قوات في النيجر

According to BBC News, Algeria is to send troops to Niger, its first foreign military deployment since it sent forces to Egypt during the Arab-Israeli war in 1973.

The move follows a visit to Algiers by Niger’s defence minister as Niger seeks support against armed groups, some linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State. Algerian troops are expected to protect energy facilities in northern Niger near the Libyan border.

Algeria’s upper house held an emergency session on Sunday to consider the deployment. AFP reported that 148 of 174 senators backed it, before the lower house of parliament also approved the plan. The timing and number of troops have not been announced.

Senator Belkacem Boulghiti said the soldiers would not be sent to wage war. “We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure,” he told reporters after the vote.

The deployment would be the first use of a 2020 constitutional provision permitting overseas military operations. Algeria has economic interests in Niger, including a planned pipeline for Nigerian gas through Niger to Algeria, while Sonatrach has agreed to explore for oil in Niger’s Kafra region.

The decision comes as the neighbours improve relations following a 2025 diplomatic rift. Niger had recalled its ambassador after Algeria shot down a Malian drone near its border, but Niger’s leader Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani visited Algeria in February 2026.