Algeria, Niger Agree to Relaunch Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline
"We agreed to launch the project to complete the trans-Saharan gas pipeline through Nigerien territory after the holy month of Ramadan," Tebboune told a joint press conference in Algiers alongside his Nigerien counterpart, Abdourahamane Tchiani, as cited by a state news agency.
State energy giant Sonatrach has been tapped to spearhead the construction effort. "Will take the lead and will begin laying the pipeline that passes through Niger," Tebboune added.
Tchiani's arrival in the Algerian capital on Sunday for high-level talks was itself a powerful symbolic gesture — widely interpreted as a definitive signal that over ten months of diplomatic frost between the two nations was finally thawing.
Tebboune made the reconciliation explicit, declaring: "With this visit, we are ending an abnormal period characterized by coldness between the two countries, even though the two brotherly peoples continued to communicate with each other."
Beyond the landmark energy deal, both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across security, energy, higher education, vocational training, and military instruction. "We will preserve the friendship that has united us with Niger for generations," the Algerian leader said.
The rapprochement had been building quietly in the days prior. On Thursday, Algeria confirmed the immediate reinstatement of ambassador Ahmed Saadi to Niger — a reciprocal move following Niger's own restoration of ambassador Aminou Malam Manzo to Algiers.
The diplomatic rupture traces back to last April, when Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali — the three members of the Alliance of Sahel States — simultaneously recalled their ambassadors from Algeria after Mali accused Algiers of shooting down one of its drones. Algeria firmly rejected the characterization, insisting the aircraft had breached its airspace on an offensive trajectory — the third such violation on record. Algiers retaliated by withdrawing its own envoys from all three countries under the principle of reciprocity, later noting that Niger's move reflected solidarity within the Sahel bloc rather than any direct bilateral grievance.
The road back began to take shape late last year. In November, Tchiani extended an olive branch by personally sending Tebboune a message to mark Algeria's Revolution Day. In January, Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab traveled to Niger to review shared oil ventures — the first senior-level Algerian visit since the diplomatic downgrade.
Algeria and Niger share nearly 950 kilometers (590 miles) of common border and are already partners in major regional infrastructure, including the Trans-Saharan Highway — making the renewed pipeline push a cornerstone of what both governments are billing as a durable and broadened partnership.
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