Algeria Ratifies Deployment of Troops to Protect Oil Assets in Niger

The Algerian parliament approved a plan to send military forces into neighboring Niger on Sunday. The lower house, the People's National Assembly, ratified the measure after the upper house, the Council of the Nation, had already voted unanimously in favor of the proposal earlier that same day.

Officials have not specified the number of soldiers involved or the exact timeline for their arrival. According to the Associated Press, the primary objective is to protect Algeria's economic and strategic interests. These interests center on oil facilities in Niger that are owned by the state energy company Sonatrach.

Senator Belkacem Boulghiti addressed reporters following the vote. He stated that the mission is designed to secure economic infrastructure rather than to wage war. Boulghiti described the decision as an adaptation of military doctrine to changing circumstances.

This approval follows an initial military move made nearly two months ago. At that time, Algeria dispatched four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 jets, a transport plane, and an aerial refueling aircraft to Niamey. Algerian authorities characterized that earlier deployment as a response to efforts to destabilize the military-led government in Niger.

Diplomatic relations between the two nations have improved in recent months. President Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger visited Algiers in February. His defense minister, Salifou Mody, subsequently traveled to Algeria for discussions on security cooperation. Tensions had previously escalated after the Algerian military shot down a Malian drone in April, leading Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to recall their ambassadors.

The deployment represents a break from Algeria's historical foreign policy of non-interference. Since participating in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the country has rarely sent forces abroad. A 2020 constitutional amendment established the legal framework for such actions. Article 91 allows the president to authorize overseas deployments if two-thirds of members in each parliamentary chamber support the move.

Algeria maintains the largest military budget in Africa, having spent more than $25 billion on its armed forces in 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The country shares long borders with Mali, Niger, and Libya. Instability in the region has increased since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi's government in Libya, which saw weapons and fighters, including Tuareg forces, spread into neighboring states.

The decision also occurs amid shifting alliances in the Sahel. France withdrew its troops from Mali in 2022, Burkina Faso in 2023, and Niger in late 2023. The United States removed approximately 1,000 soldiers from Niger in 2024. Meanwhile, roughly 100 Russian personnel linked to the Africa Corps arrived in Niamey in April 2024 to provide equipment and training.