Algeria: Algeria Sends Fighter Jets to Niger After a Failed Military Coup
[Agenzia Fides] Niamey -- Four Su-30 fighter jets, accompanied by an Il-76 transport aircraft and an Il-78 aerial tanker, have been deployed by Algeria to Air Base 101, adjacent to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, following the military uprising that broke out last weekend. This is the first overseas deployment of the Algerian military and demonstrates the importance Algiers attaches…
Niamey — The Algerian military has dispatched four Su-30 fighter jets and accompanying aircraft to Air Base 101 near Niamey, Niger, in response to a failed military coup that erupted last weekend. This marks the first time Algeria has carried out an overseas military deployment. The intervention is seen as a significant geopolitical move following the attempted uprising in Niger.
Prior to the deployment, Algeria had donated four helicopters, along with ammunition, spare parts, and maintenance equipment to the Nigerien armed forces. The uprising, led by several special forces units combating jihadist groups, began on the night of August 28-29, with residents reporting gunshots and explosions near sensitive areas of the capital, including the city center, Presidency of the Republic, Niger Radio and Television headquarters, and Air Base 101.
By August 29, Nigerien authorities reported regaining control of the situation and restoring calm. On August 30, a ceremony at Air Base 101 commemorated the arrival of the Algerian Air Force contingent, as confirmed by the Nigerien authorities and the Algerian Ministry of National Defence. The mission aims to assist the Nigerien forces in preventing the destabilization of the state.
The airport in Niamey has been targeted three times this year: in January by the Islamic State in the Sahel, in June by JNIM, and most recently on August 29 by rebel soldiers. The failed coup was also thwarted with the help of the Africa Corps, a Russian force under the Ministry of Defence in Moscow, replacing Wagner mercenaries.
Algeria has recently resumed relations with Mali following tensions since 2023-2024, including Mali's withdrawal from the 2015 Algiers Agreement mediated by Algeria with armed groups in the north. Mali has accused Algeria of supporting or harboring certain armed groups. The deployment of the Algerian military near the AES joint headquarters could signify a turning point in relations between Niger and Algeria.
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