Algeria to send troops to Niger, first foreign deployment since 1973
Algeria's parliament has approved sending soldiers to neighbouring Niger to protect energy facilities — the country's first military deployment abroad in more than 50 years and a sharp break with its non-intervention doctrine.
At a glance
- Both houses of Algeria's parliament approved on Sunday, October 25, 2026, a plan to send troops to Niger; all 148 upper-house members present voted in favour.
- Lawmakers say the force will protect Algeria's economic and strategic interests in Niger, especially oil and energy facilities, not fight a war.
- It is Algeria's first military deployment abroad since 1973, when it sent troops to support Egypt in the Arab-Israeli war.
- No troop numbers or timeline have been published; a military cooperation protocol was signed with Niger last week.
- The two countries share a 960 km border and are building the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline from Nigeria to Europe.
Algeria's parliament has approved sending troops to neighbouring Niger to protect energy facilities and Algerian interests there, the first time the North African country has deployed soldiers abroad since 1973. Both chambers backed the plan on Sunday, October 25, 2026, statements from the two houses said, marking a historic shift for a country that has long refused military involvement beyond its borders.
What was approved
The upper house, the Council of the Nation, approved the deployment unanimously: a legislator said all 148 members present voted yes. The lower house, the People's National Assembly, approved it "by an absolute majority" but did not publish vote numbers. Under a 2020 constitutional amendment, any deployment of Algerian troops outside the country needs the backing of two-thirds of parliament.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Decision | Deployment of Algerian troops to Niger |
| Approved | Sunday, October 25, 2026, by both houses |
| Upper house vote | 148 of 148 members present in favour |
| Stated purpose | Protect energy facilities and Algeria's economic and strategic interests |
| Troop numbers | Not announced |
| Last foreign deployment | 1973 (support for Egypt in the Arab-Israeli war) |
| Shared border | About 960 km of desert |
Senator Belkacem Boulghiti said the mission would secure economic infrastructure, particularly Algerian oil facilities in Niger. "We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger," he said. The government has not said how many soldiers will go, where exactly they will be based or when they will arrive.
Background
Niger has been run by a military government under General Abdourahamane Tiani since a July 2023 coup removed the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who is still detained. Algeria condemned the coup at the time, and relations later hit a low point in 2025 after Algeria shot down a drone from Mali; Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso then recalled their ambassadors from Algiers.
Since then the two neighbours have moved quickly to repair ties. Algeria gave Niger four military helicopters earlier this year and in June opened a 40-megawatt power plant to supply Niamey and the surrounding area. After a thwarted mutiny in Niger in August, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on October 3 that Algeria would protect Niger and accused unnamed countries of plotting against it. Niger's defence minister, Salifou Modi, visited Algiers last Wednesday and met Tebboune and army chief General Said Chengriha, and the two sides signed a military cooperation protocol whose details were not released.
Both countries face attacks by armed groups, including jihadist fighters operating near their border, and they have agreed to cooperate against cross-border crime and trafficking. They are also building the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a long-delayed project to carry Nigerian gas through Niger and Algeria to Europe.
Reactions and analysis
Abdellah Akir, an international relations researcher, called the move a historic break with Algeria's doctrine of non-intervention. He said it also sends a message to Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, with which Algeria has no diplomatic relations and which have been building influence in the Sahel. Geoff Porter of North Africa Risk Consulting said Algeria was moving away from relying on dialogue and multilateral diplomacy towards an "actual physical presence" in the region.
Why it matters
Algeria has one of Africa's largest and best-equipped armies, and its decision changes the security picture in the Sahel, where French and US forces have withdrawn and Russian military contractors have expanded their role. For Europe, the security of Saharan energy routes matters more than ever while gas prices are at four-year highs and Gulf LNG supplies are disrupted by the Middle East war. The deployment also shows how Africa's energy projects are increasingly tied to military protection.
What happens next
Algeria's defence ministry is expected to set out the size and timing of the force. Observers will watch how Niger's military government presents the deployment at home, how Mali and Burkina Faso react, and whether Algerian troops take on any role beyond guarding facilities.
Questions people are asking
Why is Algeria sending troops to Niger?
Algerian lawmakers say the troops will protect Algeria's economic and strategic interests in Niger, particularly oil and energy facilities, amid attacks by armed groups in the Sahel. A senator said the soldiers are not being sent to wage war.
When did Algeria last deploy troops abroad?
Algeria last sent troops abroad in 1973, when it supported Egypt in the Arab-Israeli war. Its constitution, amended in 2020, requires a two-thirds parliamentary vote for any deployment outside the country.
How many Algerian soldiers will go to Niger?
Algeria has not said how many troops will be deployed or when they will arrive. The details of a military cooperation protocol signed with Niger last week have not been released.
