Algeria ambassador returns to Niger after 10-month diplomatic rift

By Abbas Mimouni

ALGIERS, Algeria (AA) – Algeria said Thursday it reinstated its ambassador to Niger with “immediate effect,” ending a 10-month diplomatic downgrade between the two countries.

The Foreign Ministry said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructed Ambassador Ahmed Saadi to return to Niamey after Niger’s envoy to Algiers resumed his post earlier in the day.

Algeria described the move as a step toward “reviving high-level political dialogue and restoring cooperation across multiple sectors.”

It said Tebboune places “great importance” on strengthening ties of brotherhood, cooperation and good-neighborliness with Niger.

The reciprocal return of ambassadors is expected “to relaunch bilateral coordination and advance joint strategic projects aimed at boosting regional and continental integration,” the ministry said.

The diplomatic rift began in April 2025, when Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, members of the Alliance of Sahel States, recalled their ambassadors from Algeria after Mali accused Algiers of shooting down one of its drones.

Algeria said at the time that the aircraft had violated its airspace on an offensive trajectory, marking a third such breach.

Algeria responded by recalling its ambassadors from the three countries under the principle of reciprocity. It later said Niger’s decision stemmed from solidarity within the Sahel alliance rather than a bilateral dispute.

Ties began to thaw in late 2025. In November, the Nigerian president sent Tebboune a message marking Algeria’s Revolution Day. In January, Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab visited Niger to review joint oil projects, the first senior-level Algerian visit since the diplomatic downgrade.

Algeria and Niger share nearly 950 kilometers (590 miles) of border and cooperate on major regional projects, including the Trans-Saharan Highway and a proposed gas pipeline that would transport Nigerian natural gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria. It is a huge project that will allow the transport of 30 billion cubic meters annually.

Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul