Photo credit, (Photo by the Algerian Presidency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Less than three months after delivering war helicopters and fighter planes to Niger, Algeria will now deploy ground troops in this country, a member of the AES, the Alliance of Sahel States, with which it shares approximately 956 km of borders.
Algerian troops will be stationed in the north of the country, but their exact role is not precisely known.
Indeed, the two houses of Parliament, the Council of the Nation and the National People's Assembly approved on Sunday October 25 the sending of units of the People's National Army (ANP) to Niger.
A decision which marks a major historical turning point for Algeria, given its military doctrine which until then prohibited any military intervention beyond the country's borders.
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The vote of the two houses of the Algerian parliament
Photo credit, (Photo by Billel Bensalem/APP/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
''The deputies of the National People's Assembly approved, by an absolute majority, the notification sent by the President of the Republic concerning the sending of units of the National People's Army outside the national territory (in the Republic of Niger)'', announced the Algerian People's Assembly in a press release.
Then, the two chambers of Parliament, the Council of the Nation and the National People's Assembly (APN), approved the notification of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, relating to the sending of military troops to Niger.
Algerian parliamentarians were summoned last Sunday for an extraordinary closed-door session to examine a request from the Algerian head of state to deploy soldiers in northern Niger.
The Council of the Nation unanimously approved the notification.
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The vote received 148 votes in favor out of 148 voters, with 131 members present and 17 proxies according to the institution's press release.
The press release also specifies that the Algerian Constitution requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the Council of the Nation, or 116 votes, for this procedure.
Why sending troops to Niger constitutes a major historic decision in Algeria
Algeria's decision to deploy troops in Niger marks a major evolution of its military doctrine, until now based on the principle of non-intervention outside its borders.
The Algerian Constitution was, however, revised in 2020, notably through its article 91, which now authorizes the sending of troops abroad subject to approval by a two-thirds majority in each of the two houses of Parliament.
The deployment of Algerian troops in Niger constitutes, in this regard, an unprecedented decision since 1973, when the Algerian army participated in the Israeli-Arab war of October 1973 (Kippur War), by deploying an armored unit and three air squadrons responsible for the defense of Cairo.
This future deployment in Niger thus represents the first land engagement of this nature since 1973, outside of missions carried out under the aegis of the United Nations.
The choice of Niger and the objectives targeted by Algeria
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The Algerian parliamentarians who approved this military deployment invoked the “protection of the energy interests” of the country as well as the implementation of the provisions of the “bilateral agreement signed between the two brotherly and neighboring countries”.
One of the main issues concerns Sonatrach's activities in Niger, particularly in the hydrocarbons sector.
The Algerian oil and gas company is present in the country through its international exploration and production subsidiary, SIPEX. It is engaged in the exploitation of the Kafra oil field, located in northern Niger, approximately 85 kilometers from the Algerian border, in partnership with the Nigerien company Sonidep.
These activities are part of a production sharing contract concluded with the Nigerien Ministry of Oil in 2022.
According to updated estimates, the deposit's resources exceed 2.5 billion barrels of oil, making Kafra one of Sonatrach's most important investments abroad.
The two countries are also associated with other regional energy projects, notably the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP), intended to transport Nigerian gas to the European market through Niger and Algeria. Its cost is estimated between 18 and 30 billion dollars.
Some analysts also consider that the Algerian military deployment in Niger also aims to protect these strategic interests, while Morocco is pursuing its own gas pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco before its connection to the European gas network via Spain, on a route of approximately 6,000 kilometers along the Atlantic coast.
Algeria-Niger: cooperation that is strengthening and diversifying
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The sending of Algerian troops comes in a context of strengthened cooperation between Algeria and Niger in the areas of security, defense and energy.
On August 9, Algeria handed over four military helicopters to the Nigerien armed forces. At the end of the same month, it also delivered four Sukhoi-30 fighter jets as part of its support to the Nigerien army following the attempted coup against the Niamey regime.
Reacting to this strengthening of military cooperation, the Nigerien Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, declared that the two countries had profoundly reviewed their partnership.
“Algeria says today that the security of Niger interests it to the greatest extent. She considers that anything that can contribute to our security and the promotion of our sovereignty also constitutes an absolute priority,” he said.
At the beginning of October, during an exchange with national media, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune assured that his country would defend Niger in the face of threats to its stability.
“We will protect Niger no matter what,” he said, adding that “some countries, which I will not name, have conspired against Niger. We stand by him.”
The Algerian president also spoke of the “common interests” linking the two countries as well as the agreements concluded in the oil, mining and other areas. “Then someone comes and calls everything into question overnight. We should not underestimate things at this point. We are able to defend our friends, but also the interests that we share,” he added.
On October 21, the Chief of Staff of the People's National Army (ANP), Army General Saïd Chanegriha, and the Nigerien Minister of State for National Defense, General Salifou Mody, signed a military cooperation protocol in Algiers, the terms of which have not been made public.
Political reaction in Algeria
Reacting to the vote of the Algerian Parliament, Jil Jadid, a reformist party with 3 seats in the National People's Assembly, asked the Algerian government to clarify the limits of this military deployment in Niger.
''The stability of this neighboring country is of particular importance for the security of our borders, regional cooperation and the preservation of Algerian economic interests'', but ''this necessity cannot justify a military commitment without limits'' declared this party in a press release.
''The legitimacy of the objective pursued never exempts us from precisely defining the means involved, the limits of the mission and the conditions for its completion'' indicates Jil Jadid who specifies that ''sending soldiers outside the national territory cannot be an automatic decision. Any operation must be based on precise objectives, a solid legal basis and a rigorous assessment of risks.
Algeria, a major military power in Africa
Photo credit, (Photo by the Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Algeria is one of the main military powers on the African continent. According to Global Firepower's 2025 rankings, it ranks second in Africa behind Egypt and 26th in the world.
According to this same source, the Algerian armed forces have around 255,000 soldiers, including 14,000 in the air force and 30,000 in the naval forces.
The country has 2,196 tanks, 6,461 armored vehicles, 450 artillery pieces and 334 rocket launchers. Its arsenal also includes 201 warships and submarines, as well as 547 aircraft and 273 military helicopters.
On the budgetary level, Algeria's military spending is estimated at around 25 billion dollars. Its main military partner remains Russia, also an ally of the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Niger is a member.
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