Algeria sends ground troops to Niger to guard oil assets

Algeria’s lower house ratified a plan on Sunday to send ground forces into neighboring Niger. The vote confirms a military operation designed to protect economic interests, specifically oil facilities owned by the state energy company Sonatrach. Authorities have not yet announced the number of soldiers or the exact start date for the deployment.

The move reverses a long-standing policy of noninterference. Algeria has rarely dispatched troops abroad since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. A 2020 constitutional amendment requires the president to secure support from at least two-thirds of members in both parliamentary chambers for such missions. The Council of the Nation, the upper house, had already endorsed the proposal earlier on Sunday.

Relations between the two nations have improved recently after years of tension. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Niger’s leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, met in February. Tchiani’s defense minister, Salifou Mody, later visited Algiers to discuss security cooperation. These talks followed a period of strain caused by Algeria’s criticism of Niger’s 2023 military coup and a border incident in April where Algerian forces shot down a Malian drone.

The deployment follows a preliminary military buildup. About two months ago, Algeria sent four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 jets, a transport plane, and a refueling aircraft to Niamey. Officials described that air support as a response to efforts to destabilize Niger’s military-led government.

The decision arrives amid rising regional instability. Six military coups have occurred in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2012. France withdrew its troops from all three countries between 2022 and 2023. Approximately 1,000 U.S. soldiers left Niger in 2024, while around 100 Russian personnel linked to the Africa Corps arrived in April 2024 to provide training and equipment.

Algeria is Africa’s largest military spender, with an estimated $25 billion budget for 2025 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The deployment may also protect the planned Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would transport Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria. Senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters that the mission secures economic infrastructure rather than starting a war. He described the move as an adaptation of doctrine to changing circumstances.