Niger’s military leader Abdourahamane Tiani has announced a “new dynamic” in relations with Algeria following talks in Algiers with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. After the meeting on Monday, Tebboune said the visit ended what he described as an “abnormal period of chilliness” between the two neighbours, which had deteriorated amid wider tensions between Algeria and military-led states in the Sahel.
Central to the renewed cooperation is the revival of the long-delayed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a 4,000-kilometre project designed to carry natural gas from Nigeria to Algeria via Niger. Algerian officials said preparatory work is expected to begin shortly after Ramadan. The pipeline has been under discussion for more than 15 years and is seen as strategically important for regional energy exports to Europe.
Relations had cooled sharply in April after Algeria shot down a drone from Mali, prompting Mali and its allies Burkina Faso and Niger members of the Alliance of Sahel States to recall their ambassadors. Algeria responded with reciprocal diplomatic withdrawals. Following Monday’s talks, Tebboune pledged broader support for Niger, which is grappling with economic hardship, including cooperation projects in health and education. Algeria has also recently held talks with Burkina Faso on mining and hydrocarbons, although relations with Mali remain strained, with Bamako accusing Algiers of maintaining contacts with armed groups along their shared border.
