Algeria's upper house approves a troop deployment to Niger

The Council of the Nation voted unanimously at an emergency session on Sunday. The lower house was expected to vote later that evening, and a two-thirds majority in both is required.

Why it matters

The units are expected to secure oil facilities in Niger. It would be Algeria's first mission outside its borders since the 1973 war.

In August, Algeria sent fighter jets to Niger to help thwart what President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called a "coup attempt" in Niamey.