Key facts
- Algeria's parliament approved a resolution on Sunday authorizing the deployment of army units to Niger.
- The deployment would mark Algeria's first foreign troop deployment since 1973.
- Troops would be sent to Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border.
- No troops have been officially deployed yet, according to a Niger security source.
Algeria's parliament approved a resolution on Sunday authorizing the deployment of army units to Niger, a move that would mark the country's first foreign troop deployment since 1973. Lawmakers unanimously backed the deployment of National Army units to Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border. No troops have been officially deployed yet, according to a Niger security source. The decision follows a recent improvement in ties between Algeria and Niger, which had previously strained after Algeria shot down a Malian drone near their border. Niger's President Abdourahamane Tiani visited Algiers in February, and its Defence Minister Salifou Mody met with defense experts in Algiers on October 20 to discuss security cooperation. Algeria's state energy company Sonatrach is also involved in the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project with Niger and Nigeria.