Algerian Parliament Approves Troop Mission to Niger for Oil Protection

The People’s National Assembly ratified a proposal on Sunday to deploy Algerian troops to Niger. The lower house vote followed a unanimous approval by the upper house, the Council of the Nation, earlier in the day. The mission is designed to protect oil installations owned by the state energy company Sonatrach.

Algeria has historically avoided sending armed forces abroad, a stance rooted in a foreign policy of sovereignty and noninterference. However, the country’s constitution allows for overseas deployments under specific conditions. Article 91 of the 2020 constitutional revision grants the president the authority to authorize such missions, provided they receive the backing of at least two-thirds of the members in each legislative chamber.

Tensions between Algiers and Niamey have eased over the past year. President Abdourahamane Tchiani visited Algeria in February, and Niger’s defence minister, Salifou Mody, traveled to Algiers later to discuss security cooperation. This diplomatic thaw follows a crisis last April when the Algerian army shot down a Malian drone. That incident led Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to recall their ambassadors from Algiers.

The deployment follows a series of military movements in the region. Nearly two months ago, Algeria sent four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 jets, a transport aircraft, and an aerial refuelling aircraft to Niamey. Algerian authorities described this initial move as a response to an attempt to destabilize the military-led government in Niger.

Senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters that the troops are not being sent to wage war. "We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure," Boulghiti said. He described the move as an adaptation of doctrine to meet new challenges in the Sahel region.

Algeria spent more than $25bn on its armed forces in 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, making it Africa’s largest military spender. The country shares long borders with Mali, Niger, and Libya, areas that have seen six military coups since 2012. Western military forces have withdrawn from the region, with the United States pulling out approximately 1,000 soldiers from Niger in 2024 and France exiting in December 2023.

Details regarding the number of soldiers and the specific timeline for the deployment have not been made public. The decision occurs as Algeria seeks to deepen security cooperation in the Sahel, a vast territory stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.