Algeria’s Senate Approves Sending an Army Unit to Niger, First Deployment Abroad Since 1973
Algeria’s Council of the Nation, the upper house of parliament, has approved a presidential decision to send a unit of the People’s National Army to neighbouring Niger, a move that would be the country’s first military deployment abroad since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The vote took place in a closed emergency session on Sunday, 25 October 2026, according to Anadolu Agency, AFP and Al Jazeera (Anadolu, Al Jazeera). The lower house still has to vote.
- Algeria’s upper house, the Council of the Nation, approved a presidential decision on 25 October 2026 to send a unit of the People’s National Army to Niger
- Anadolu and Al Jazeera reported the vote as unanimous; an unnamed senator told AFP that 148 of the 174 senators voted in favour
- Senators said the unit would secure Sonatrach energy projects in Niger
- Under Article 91 of the constitution, the lower house must also approve by a two-thirds majority; its vote was due on Sunday evening
- If it goes ahead, it would be Algeria’s first military deployment abroad since the 1973 war
A later AFP account, carried by France 24, appears to reconcile the two vote reports: the same unnamed senator said 148 of the chamber’s 174 members were present and all of them voted in favour. According to that report, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf presented the proposal (France 24/AFP). The lower house’s vote had not been confirmed by an official Algerian source or a major news agency at the time of this update.
What the Senate approved
Anadolu’s correspondent reported that the session ended with a unanimous vote in favour of the decision. Council members told local media that the plan involves “deploying a detachment of the People’s National Army to secure oil projects belonging to Algeria’s Sonatrach in the neighbouring country” (Anadolu). AFP gave a different figure: an unnamed senator told the agency that 148 senators in the 174-seat chamber had voted in favour, and that the move sought to “protect energy facilities in Niger” (AFP via Al Arabiya). The two accounts have not been reconciled, and no official vote count had been published at the time of writing.
Article 91 of Algeria’s constitution lets the president “decide to deploy army units abroad following approval by a two-thirds majority in each of the two chambers of parliament” (Anadolu). The People’s National Assembly, the lower house, was due to vote on the same decision on Sunday evening. Its result was not available when this article was prepared. The size of the unit, the length of the mission and its base have not been officially announced.
Where would the troops go?
Jeune Afrique, citing its own information, reported that the Algerian units would be sent to the Madama military base in northern Niger, about 100 km from the Libyan border, which French forces used until 2023 under Operation Barkhane (Jeune Afrique). Former Algerian diplomat Amar Belani wrote the same on Facebook, according to Anadolu (Anadolu). Neither the Algerian presidency nor the defence ministry has confirmed the destination.
Previous developments
The vote follows a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation signed on 21 October, during a visit to Algiers by Niger’s defence minister, General Salifou Mody. According to Anadolu, the document provides for cooperation and exchange of experience in counter-terrorism and for “the response to any project requested by the Nigerien authorities” to strengthen the operational capacity of Niger’s army. Algeria’s chief of staff, General Saïd Chanegriha, said Algeria was ready to examine any Nigerien proposal to consolidate military and security cooperation (Anadolu).
Algeria has already used its air force in Niger once this year. After a coup attempt in Niamey in late August, the Algerian defence ministry said Su-30 fighters and an air-to-air refuelling aircraft had landed at Niamey airport to support Niger’s army (Al Jazeera). Jeune Afrique put the force at four Su-30s, an Il-78 tanker and an Il-76 transport (Jeune Afrique). AFP also noted that Algiers had earlier given four military helicopters to Niamey; the two countries share a desert border of about 960 km (AFP).
Why it matters
For decades Algerian doctrine kept the army inside the country’s borders. A 2020 constitutional amendment opened the door to taking part in peacekeeping under UN, African Union and Arab League principles, and Article 91 set the parliamentary procedure for sending units abroad (Anadolu). A deployment to Niger would be the first use of that procedure. It would also put Algerian troops in a Sahel country fighting jihadist groups, in an area where French forces withdrew in 2023. For more on Algeria’s force modernisation, see our report on Algeria’s Su-57E programme; for the wider regional security picture, see our coverage of ISWAP operations in Borno.
Sources: Anadolu Agency (English and French, 25 October 2026); AFP via Al Arabiya; Al Jazeera; Jeune Afrique (25 October 2026). This article will be updated after the lower-house vote.
