The Algerian regime has donated Niger four Russian military helicopters alongside ammunition and spare parts in a bid to mend ties with Niamey and restore its fading luster in the region. After failing to subdue its southern Sahel countries, the Algerian authorities are now using soft-power and cash-diplomacy to restore ties with Sahel nations in new regional and shifting geo-political landscape. Since the beginning of 2026, Algeria has stepped up its diplomatic outreach to Niger and Burkina Faso in an attempt to reassert its role in the Sahel. Relations with the three Alliance of Sahel States (AES) members – Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali – had deteriorated after Algerian forces shot down a Malian drone near border in April 2025. But many experts wonder whether the Algerian regime gas leverage will work and how long its check-diplomacy will hold in the new world order taking shape.