Niger, Algeria announce 'new dynamic' in ties, progress on pipeline

ALGIERS - The head of Niger's military junta declared the start of a "new dynamic" with Algeria following a meeting with its president on Monday, announcing plans to start construction on a new gas pipeline.

Ties between the two countries had been strained for nearly a year after Algeria last April shot down a drone from Mali, which along with Niger and Burkina Faso belongs to a confederation of military-led Sahel nations.

Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani met with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers on Monday, with the latter saying the visit marked an "end to an abnormal period of chilliness" between the two countries.

After the meeting, Tiani expressed a shared desire to "inspire a new dynamic in our fraternal cooperation and neighbourly ties".

Following the drone incident, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) had recalled their ambassadors from Algeria, which responded in kind.

But last week Tebboune restored Algeria's ambassador to Niger to help "relaunch" bilateral dialogue, shortly after Niamey's envoy in Algiers resumed his duties.

Tebboune said the thaw would see the "construction of a gas pipeline crossing the territory" of Niger, with the first steps to take place after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in March.

The 4,000-kilometre Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline will transport gas extracted in Nigeria to Algeria, and has been on the drawing board for more than 15 years.

Plans for the project had accelerated in early 2025 before the falling out between Algeria and the Sahel states.

Following Monday's meeting, Tebboune promised support for Niger, which is facing severe economic difficulties, listing plans for projects in the health and education sectors.

On Friday, an Algerian delegation also travelled to Burkina Faso to discuss cooperation in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors.

But it remained to be seen if the thaw with Niger would lead to a similar rapprochement with Mali, which accuses Algeria of maintaining ties with terrorist groups along their shared border.

Regarding Tiani's visit to Algiers, a Malian diplomat told AFP that "Niger is free to have relations with whoever it wants, provided it does not harm the interests of the confederation".

An adviser to the presidency in Bamako, however, said Mali should have been "made aware of the reasons" for the visit.