UPDATE - Algerian parliament approves deployment of army unit to Niger

UPDATES WITH LOWER HOUSE APPROVAL, REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE, DECK

By Abbas Mimouni, Serdar Dincel and Rania Abushamala

ALGIERS, Algeria/ISTANBUL (AA) - Algeria’s parliament approved on Sunday a presidential decision to deploy an army unit to Niger, as the lower house backed the move hours after its unanimous approval by the upper chamber.

The decision was submitted by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and first approved by the Council of the Nation in an emergency session, and later by the People's National Assembly.

The Council of the Nation said in a statement that Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf addressed a closed session as President Tebboune’s representative, outlining the reasons behind the decision and its intended objectives.

It added that the decision was based on “protecting energy interests and implementing the provisions of the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries.”

All 148 members participating in the Council of the Nation vote supported the decision, with 131 members present and 17 votes cast by proxy. Article 91, paragraph two, of the Constitution requires approval by two-thirds of the council’s members, equivalent to 116 votes out of its 174 seats.

Hours after the Council of the Nation’s vote, the National People’s Assembly announced that it had approved the presidential notification “by an absolute majority of those present” in a session dedicated to the vote.

This completed the constitutional procedures required to deploy Algerian army units abroad.

The assembly’s statement did not specify the number of members who voted on the decision. The National People’s Assembly has a total of 407 members.

Article 91 of Algeria’s Constitution stipulates that the president may deploy army units abroad after obtaining approval from two-thirds of the members of each parliamentary chamber.

According to earlier information from within the Council of the Nation, the mission involves sending an army “detachment” to secure oil projects belonging to the state energy company Sonatrach in Niger, at Niamey’s request.

The use of the term “detachment” indicates a mission of limited scope to secure Algerian oil facilities. Neither the size of the proposed force nor its deployment date has been announced.

Sonatrach operates in Niger through its international exploration and production subsidiary, SIPEX, which manages oil investments in the country’s north under agreements with Nigerien authorities.

The deployment would be the first involving Algerian ground troops abroad since the army’s participation in the October 1973 war against Israel.

The move comes amid growing military cooperation between Algeria and Niger. The two countries signed a military cooperation protocol last week during Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Modi’s visit to Algeria.

Algeria also supplied Niger with helicopters and military equipment in August and later sent four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and an aerial refueling aircraft to Niamey.

Rania R.a. Abushamala