Algeria.. Parliament approves sending a military unit to Niger
Agencies3 min read
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The Algerian Parliament, in both its chambers, approved on Sunday a decision to send army units to Niger, on a mission that authorities say aims to protect energy interests and implement bilateral agreements between the two countries.
The approval came after the Council of the Nation, the upper house of parliament, voted unanimously on a notification submitted by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, followed by the approval of the People's National Assembly, the lower house, by an absolute majority of those present.
The Council of the Nation stated that Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, representing President Tebboune, presented during a closed session the motives for the decision and the intended objectives.
It added that the decision is based on "protecting energy interests and implementing the terms of the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries."
148 members of the Council of the Nation voted in favor of the decision out of 148 participants, including 131 present members and 17 proxies, noting that Article 91, Clause 2, of the Constitution requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the Council of the Nation, i.e., 116 votes out of 174 seats.
Hours after the Council of the Nation's vote, the People's National Assembly announced the approval of the presidential notification by an "absolute majority of those present" in a session dedicated to that purpose, according to a statement by the Assembly.
Thus, the constitutional procedures required to send Algerian army units outside the country have been completed.
The Assembly did not specify in its statement the number of those who voted for the notification, while the total number of members of the People's National Assembly is 407.
Article 91 of the Algerian Constitution stipulates that the President of the Republic decides to send army units abroad after the approval of two-thirds of the members of each of the two chambers of parliament.
According to previous data from within the Council of the Nation, the mission involves sending a "detachment" of the army to secure oil projects belonging to the state energy company "Sonatrach" in Niger, at the request of Niamey.
The use of the term "detachment" indicates that the mission is limited in scope, consisting of securing Algerian oil facilities, without announcing the size of the force to be sent or the date of its deployment.
Sonatrach operates in Niger through its international exploration and production subsidiary, "SIPEX," which manages oil investments in the north of the country under agreements with the Nigerien authorities.
This is the first move of its kind regarding sending Algerian ground units abroad since the Algerian army's participation in the October 1973 war against Israel.
It comes in light of growing military cooperation between Algeria and Niger, as the two countries signed a military cooperation protocol last Wednesday during the visit of Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Mody to Algeria.
Algeria also provided helicopters and military equipment to Niger last August, and later sent four "Sukhoi 30" fighter jets and a refueling aircraft to Niamey.
