For the first time since 1973, the Algerian Parliament votes in favor of sending forces abroad

The Algerian Parliament, in both chambers, voted on Sunday in favor of sending army forces to a military mission outside the borders, specifically in Niger. The official Algerian News Agency reported that the National People’s Assembly approved, by a majority of its deputies, “the notification sent by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, regarding the process of sending units of the People’s National Army outside the country (the Republic of Niger).”

The other chamber of Parliament (the National Assembly) also unanimously agreed to send troops out of the country. According to Article (91) of the Algerian Constitution, sending army units abroad requires the approval of two-thirds of each chamber in Parliament, provided that this takes place in separate sessions in each chamber, which is what the country witnessed today.

According to local media, sending forces from the Algerian army is the first time since the October War of 1973, in which Egypt and Syria fought Israel. At the end of August, the Algerian Ministry of Defense announced sending two patrols of Sukhoi Su-30 combat aircraft (4 fighters) to Niger to support its army in light of the conditions of instability the country is witnessing.

Niger has witnessed an escalation in attacks launched by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State, especially in the border triangle with Mali and Burkina Faso, and along its southern border with Nigeria.