Algeria has donated two Mi-24V attack helicopters and two Mi-171 multirole transport helicopters to Niger.
Algeria has donated two Mi-24V attack helicopters and two Mi-171 multirole transport helicopters to Niger.
Algiers also supplied helicopter ammunition, spare parts, maintenance equipment, and logistical support.
The aircraft departed from the In Guezzam deployment base in southern Algeria and flew to Niamey, while the ammunition and supporting equipment were transported separately aboard an Algerian military aircraft.
Algeria described the transfer as part of broader defense and security cooperation with Niger.
The two countries share a border of roughly 950 kilometers (590 miles) across the Sahel, a region affected by militant activity, weapons trafficking, and other cross-border security threats.
Niger Under Pressure
The helicopter transfer comes as Niger’s military junta, which seized power in July 2023, faces continued violence from rival al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates, including mounting attacks on aviation facilities central to the country’s counterterrorism operations.
In June, militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda affiliate, attacked Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.
The site also houses a military airbase. Nigerien authorities said 11 soldiers and two civilians were killed.
Three months earlier, armed fighters targeted a military drone base at Tahoua Airport.
The Nigerien army repelled the assault, which left several soldiers injured and several attackers dead. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Diori Hamani Airport came under attack in January, when Islamic State militants targeted the civilian airport and adjoining air force base.
Niger’s military operations have also caused civilian casualties.
According to Human Rights Watch, an apparent Nigerien drone strike hit a crowded market, killing at least 17 civilians, including four children, and injuring at least 13 others.
