Algeria Sent Warplanes to Niger to Stop Coup Attempt

Algeria deployed fighter jets to Niger in late August to help thwart a coup attempt in the capital city of Niamey, according to statements by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Al Jazeera and Yahoo both reported that Tebboune confirmed the deployment during excerpts of an interview broadcast on October 3, 2026. The Algerian president explained that warplanes were sent across the border after mutineers launched an attack in the Nigerien capital. [1][2]

Al Jazeera reported that President Tebboune said Algerian warplanes were dispatched because certain parties had gone too far. Tebboune noted that Niger Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine was visiting Algeria when the crisis began. Zeine returned home at night immediately prior to the military action. Tebboune made the comments ahead of the full release of his local media interview. [1]

The conflict comes after a military coup d'etat occurred in Niger on July 26, 2023, when members of the presidential guard removed and detained President Mohamed Bazoum. General Abdourahamane Tiani, who commanded the presidential guard, subsequently proclaimed himself leader of the nation and established the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland to consolidate control over the West African country. [4][6]

Niger ranks among the poorest nations in the world, with over 60 percent of its population living below three dollars per day. Its economy relies heavily on subsistence agriculture and uranium mining, while neighboring Algeria operates as a semi-presidential republic whose economy is driven primarily by oil and natural gas exports. [5][6]