Algeria deployed four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling tanker to Niamey on August 30, 2026. According to the Algerian Ministry of National Defense (MDN), two Su-30 patrols landed at Niamey airport that morning alongside the tanker aircraft. Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine met the arriving Algerian flight on arrival.
The deployment responded to an official request from Nigerien authorities following an attack on August 29, 2026, when mutinous soldiers targeted Niger's main military airbase and the presidency. Gunfire and explosions occurred around the presidency and Air Base 101, located inside the Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM) complex. The mission was instructed by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and ordered by General Said Chanegriha.
