Algerian Parliament Approves Sending Army Units to Niger in First External Deployment Since 1973
The Algerian parliament, in both chambers, approved notifying President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of the dispatch of units from the People's National Army to the Republic of Niger, marking the first Algerian military deployment abroad since Algeria sent forces to support Egypt during the October 1973 war.
The Algerian parliament, in both chambers, on Sunday, October 25, approved the notification sent by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune concerning the dispatch of units of the People's National Army outside the country, specifically to the Republic of Niger, in the first Algerian military deployment abroad since sending forces to support Egypt during the October 1973 war.
Unanimity in the Council of the Nation and majority in the People's National Assembly
The Council of the Nation, the upper house of parliament, voted unanimously in favor of the notification with 148 out of 148 expressed votes during a closed session on Sunday morning, while the People's National Assembly, the lower house, approved the same notification in a closed afternoon session by an absolute majority of the deputies present. Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, representing the president, presented to deputies and members of the Council of the Nation the objectives of the operation.
Protecting energy interests and a bilateral agreement
According to what was presented to parliamentarians, the decision is based on two main considerations: protecting Algerian energy interests and installations in Niger, and implementing provisions of a bilateral agreement between Algeria and Niamey. This comes amid strengthened security cooperation between the two neighboring countries, which share long desert borders, in confronting the violence of armed groups, cross-border crime, and drug trafficking.
Article 91 of the constitution
Article 91 of the Algerian constitution provides that the president of the republic may decide to send units of the People's National Army abroad after parliamentary approval by a two-thirds majority of the members of each chamber in separate sessions. Authorities have not yet announced the number of soldiers to be sent, the timing of their deployment, or their locations of concentration within Niger.
