Algeria to send troops to Niger in first foreign deployment since 1973

Algeria is to send troops to Niger in its first foreign deployment since sending forces to Egypt during the Arab-Israeli war in 1973.

The deployment follows a visit to Algiers by Niger's defence minister, as the country seeks support against armed groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State.

Algeria has economic interests in Niger, including a planned gas pipeline that would carry Nigerian gas through Niger to Algeria. The troops are expected to protect energy facilities in northern Niger, near the Libyan border.

The deployment comes as the two neighbours rebuild ties after a diplomatic rift in 2025, when Niger recalled its ambassador to Algiers.

However, the timing and number of soldiers to be deployed have not been announced.

The move would mark the first use of a 2020 constitutional provision allowing overseas military deployments and a significant shift in Algeria's long-standing policy against sending forces abroad.

"We are not sending our soldiers to wage war in Niger, but for a mission to secure economic infrastructure," Algerian senator Belkacem Boulghiti told reporters after the vote.

Relations between Algeria and Niger have not always been smooth in recent years.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)