Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered units of the People’s National Army (PNA) to deploy to Niger to protect what Algiers describes as the two countries’ shared energy and economic interests.
The decision, announced by the Algerian Presidency on October 26, follows parliamentary approval a day earlier and marks Algeria’s first overseas military deployment since 1973.
The deployment was approved during closed extraordinary sessions of both chambers of Algeria’s parliament on October 25. President Tebboune acted under Articles 30 and 91 of Algeria’s Constitution, which permit the head of state to send military units abroad with parliamentary approval. The provision was introduced in the 2020 constitutional revision and had not previously been used for an overseas deployment.
Algiers says the mission is intended to protect Algerian-Nigerien energy and economic interests, particularly infrastructure linked to the state energy company Sonatrach. Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf described the operation as peaceful and said it would safeguard Sonatrach projects and personnel, rather than involve Algeria in combat operations inside Niger.
Senator Belkacem Boulghiti said the troops would protect Algeria’s “economic and strategic interests, particularly its oil facilities in Niger,” adding: “We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure.”
Sonatrach has oil interests in northern Niger and is involved in the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would carry Nigerian natural gas through Niger and Algeria for export to European markets. Reports have suggested that a possible deployment area is Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border, although this has not been officially confirmed.
The vote followed a visit by Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Mody to Algiers, during which Algeria and Niger signed a military cooperation protocol on October 21. The agreement followed talks between Mody and PNA chief of staff General Saïd Chanegriha, though its detailed provisions were not made public.
Algeria had already increased its military support to Niamey after an attempted coup in late August. It sent four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, an aerial-refueling aircraft and support teams to Niger, after earlier providing four military helicopters.
The deployment represents a notable shift for Algeria, whose foreign policy has traditionally emphasized sovereignty and non-interference. Algerian officials frame it as an adaptation to deteriorating security conditions across the Sahel, where armed groups and political instability continue to affect countries along Algeria’s southern frontier.
