Algeria’s parliament has approved the deployment of troops to neighbouring Niger to protect the country’s energy investments, paving the way for its first overseas ground troop mission in more than 50 years....
Algeria’s parliament has approved the deployment of troops to neighbouring Niger to protect the country’s energy investments, paving the way for its first overseas ground troop mission in more than 50 years.
The approval, granted on Sunday, backs President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s decision to send military personnel abroad following a constitutional amendment permitting such deployments with parliamentary authorisation.
Algerian lawmaker Abdelkader Belhassen, representing the Justice and Development Front, said parliamentary blocs had agreed to the deployment to safeguard investments by state-owned energy company Sonatrach in Niger.
“Following their interventions, the parliamentary blocs concluded that they agreed to send a detachment of the People’s National Army to Niger for the purpose of protecting the investments being made by Sonatrach in Niger,” Belhassen said after the vote.
Algeria’s upper chamber unanimously approved the deployment with 148 votes, while the lower house endorsed it by an absolute majority of members present, completing the constitutional approval process.
Another lawmaker, Fateh Ayachi of the Future Front, said political differences had been set aside in support of the decision.
“All political parties agreed to it. My brother, you are Algerian, and we are all Algerians. Despite all the differences between political parties, when it comes to the country’s stability and the supreme interests of the state, all those differences disappear,” Ayachi said.
The parliamentary approval followed a visit to Algeria last week by Niger’s Defence Minister, Salifou Modi, during which both countries signed a military cooperation protocol.
Sonatrach maintains oil investments in Niger and is involved in the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which is designed to transport Nigerian natural gas through Niger and Algeria to international markets.
The planned pipeline is considered a strategic energy project that could expand regional gas exports and strengthen energy cooperation among the three countries.
The deployment would mark Algeria’s first overseas ground troop mission since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, reflecting a significant shift in its military posture and its approach to protecting strategic economic interests beyond its borders.