Algeria's upper house approves sending troops to Niger

26 October 2026

Algeria's upper house, the Council of the Nation, unanimously approved sending troops to Niger in an emergency session on Sunday, 25 October 2026. The lower house was expected to hold a separate session the same evening. Under the Algerian constitution the president may send military units abroad if both chambers approve by a two-thirds majority. The deployed units are expected to secure oil facilities in Niger. If approved, it would be Algeria's first military mission outside its borders since 1973, when it sent troops to support Egypt in the Arab-Israeli war. Niger's Defence Minister, General Salifou Modi, had visited Algeria the previous week and met President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Chief of Staff General Said Chanegriha, and the two sides signed a military cooperation protocol. In late August Algeria had sent fighter jets to Niger; its Ministry of Defence said the aircraft went at Niger's request.