Overview
- Algerian lawmakers voted unanimously to approve the deployment, which was passed on Sunday 25 October and authorizes units of the Armée nationale populaire to move to Niger.
- Officials say the force is to be based at Madama on a former French Barkhane site to protect Sonatrach operations and long‑term projects such as the proposed trans‑Saharan gas link.
- Independent reporting indicates the operation was not yet effective at the time of the vote while Algerian and Nigerien military teams carry out local visits and preparations.
- The deployment follows a 2020 constitutional change that allows foreign troop missions with parliamentary approval and months of stepped‑up Algerian support to Niamey, including helicopters and overflights.
- Algeria frames the move as a response to regional security threats from foreign mercenary groups and jihadists and to intensifying rivalry with actors like the UAE, a dynamic that could reshape Sahel security and energy plans.