Algeria's parliament on Sunday approved a resolution to send troops to neighbouring Niger to protect energy facilities, according to statements from both houses of parliament. The deployment abroad will be a first since Algiers sent soldiers to support Egypt during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

How the vote passed

The decision followed the procedure set by a 2020 constitutional amendment, under which deploying troops outside Algeria's territory requires the approval of two-thirds of parliament.

• •The upper house approved the proposal with all 148 members in attendance voting for it, according to a legislator speaking to AFP.
• •The lower house said it voted "by an absolute majority" to send the military unit to Niger, without giving numbers.

Why the Sahel matters to Algiers

Niger faces persistent attacks by armed groups, including in areas near the border with Algeria. The two countries share a 960-kilometre (600-mile) desert border and have agreed to deepen cooperation against jihadist violence, cross-border crime and trafficking.

Abdellah Akir, an international relations researcher, said the decision marks a historic break with Algeria's doctrine of non-intervention beyond its borders.

Akir added that the measure also sought to "send a strong signal to competing actors, including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates", countries with which Algiers has no diplomatic ties. Geoff Porter of North Africa Risk Consulting said the move shows a shift from dialogue, international law and multilateral forums towards a physical presence, while Algeria remains committed to its foreign policy principles.

The two countries are building the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP), a project to export natural gas to Europe from Nigeria via Niger, after decades of delays.

Tebboune's pledge

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in a televised address on October 3: "We will protect Niger no matter what."

In the same address he said: "There are countries, which I will not name, that have conspired against (Niger). We stand by its side."

Tebboune said Algeria has interests and agreements with Niger in oil, mining and other sectors, and that "some are seeking to destroy all of this overnight".

Deepening ties with Niamey

Niger has been run by General Abdourahamane Tiani since a July 2023 coup that toppled the elected president Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained since then. Algeria-Niger relations have moved through strained episodes and renewed cooperation in recent months.

• •Relations were strained after Algeria downed a drone from Mali last year, prompting Niger to recall its ambassador from Algiers alongside Mali and Burkina Faso. Algeria and Mali have since resumed diplomatic ties.
• •Months before the vote, Algiers gifted four military helicopters to Niamey, deployed at the request of Nigerien authorities, the Algerian defence ministry said.
• •In June, Algeria inaugurated a 40-megawatt power plant intended to supply electricity to Niamey and surrounding areas.
• •A thwarted mutiny took place in Niger in August, and Algiers and Niamey moved earlier this year to repair relations.

The vote followed a visit last Wednesday by Niger's Defence Minister Salifou Modi to Algeria, where he met President Tebboune and army chief Said Chengriha. A military cooperation protocol was signed by the two sides during the visit, according to Algerian reports, but no details were given at the time.