Algeria deploys troops in Niger to protect Kafra oil field
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
The Algerian Parliament has approved the deployment of a military detachment to Niger to protect infrastructure and projects belonging to Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned oil company. The mission is intended in particular to secure the Kafra oil field in northern Niger, according to an article published by Mali Actu.
Algeria will deploy a military detachment to Niger to secure the Kafra oil field, operated in the north of the country by SIPEX, a subsidiary of Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned hydrocarbons company. The Algerian Parliament unanimously approved the measure at a closed-door extraordinary session, in response to a request from the Nigerien authorities, Mali Actu reports.
The mission is also expected to protect Sonatrach’s infrastructure and investment projects in Niger. The potential reserves at the Kafra deposit are said to exceed two billion barrels, according to Mali Actu.
The parliamentary authorisation marks Algeria’s first decision to send military forces abroad since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, according to the same outlet. It follows a visit to Algiers by Niger’s defence minister, General Salifou Mody, and the conclusion of a new military cooperation protocol between the two countries.
The deployment of troops to Niger had already been approved on 25 October. This authorisation to send military units to Niger was subsequently validated by the Algerian Parliament, with the protection of the Kafra oil field and Sonatrach’s interests specified.
