Algeria's parliament approved a resolution on Sunday authorising the deployment of army units to Niger, a parliamentary statement said, in what would mark Algeria's first foreign troop deployment since it sent forces to support Egypt in the 1973 war.
Lawmakers unanimously backed the deployment of National Army units to Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border, at the site of a former French base used during Operation Barkhane, the statement said.
No troops have been officially deployed yet, according to a Niger security source. But Niger presidential chief of staff, General Bacharou Ibro Amadou, has been visiting the Kawar area in the Bilma department of the Agadez region since October 19. He traveled to Madama for talks with local military commanders before returning to Dirkou to meet military and traditional authorities on plans for the base.
The move highlights a rapid improvement in ties between Algiers and Niamey after a period of strain.
Niger, like other countries in West Africa's Sahel region, is battling insurgents linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Algeria, which shares a border with Niger, has traditionally regarded stability in the Sahel-Sahara as a key regional security priority.