World News
Algeria sends army units to Niger to protect shared energy interests in its first deployment abroad since 1973
By Staff Writer | 27 October 2026
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune took the decision a day after both chambers of parliament approved it in closed sessions. The number of soldiers and the timing have not been announced.
Algeria's President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, decided on Monday to deploy units of the People's National Army to Niger to protect the energy and economic interests the two countries share, the Presidency of the Republic said in a statement. Tebboune is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of National Defence. The presidency said Niger had asked for military assistance.
It will be Algeria's first deployment of troops abroad since 1973, and the first use of a 2020 constitutional reform that allows the president to send forces abroad with the approval of at least two thirds of the members of each chamber of parliament. How many soldiers will go, and when, has not been announced.
Parliament votes in closed session
Both chambers approved the president's notification of the deployment on Sunday. The Council of the Nation, the upper house, met in a closed plenary session chaired by its Speaker, Azouz Nasri, under Article 136 of the Constitution. Members of the People's National Assembly, the lower house, met behind closed doors under their Speaker, Khalida Boufedeche, and approved it by an absolute majority.
A member of the upper house, Belkacem Boulghiti, told reporters after the vote that the soldiers would protect economic infrastructure.
We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure
Belkacem Boulghiti, member of Algeria's Council of the Nation
The troops are expected to protect energy facilities in northern Niger.
Pipeline and oil interests
Algeria's state energy company, Sonatrach, has been working with Niger on the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria for export to Europe. Sonatrach has also signed an agreement with Niger's petroleum ministry to explore for oil in the Kafra region, where two exploration wells have been estimated to hold 168 million and 100 million barrels.
Niger has faced years of attacks by armed groups. The deployment follows a period of closer ties between the neighbours. Niger recalled its ambassador from Algiers during a dispute in 2025, but its head of state visited Algeria in February this year. In August Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger and donated four military helicopters to its armed forces.
The presidency described the decision as one made under the constitutional provisions that allow the army to operate abroad with parliamentary approval. The next step to watch is the announcement of the size of the force and the date it crosses the border.