Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Niger/algeria Guides

Hello All,

first thanks for your nice and informative site! - it s a real help.

I am planning a trip from spain/algeria/niger/burkina
and i have a few questions about guides between the algerian border and arlit

in fact - i am moving my fathers household togehter with my father and two friends in the beginning of february. my father is an old west africa routinee - he is living in burkina faso and he has been working in west africa for thirty years. as he is retired now, he sold his appartment in amsterdam and i came with the idea to move part of his householdstuff with my old nissan minibus to burkina. we all have been travelling a lot in black africa.

off course - the nissan vanette is not the most suitable dessert car, so we plan to do the sahara highway through tamanrasset to niger agadez niamey and we dont mind to push ourselves sometimes through the sand. we already contacted tanezrouft travel and have the guides for the algerian side and all the visas necessary.
the news on the niger side is not too pretty still.

my questions:
- does any one have advise on a guide from the algerian/niger border to arlit. i understand there are military convoys from arlit to niamey - which in a way makes me feel more comfortable than without these convoys.
- how risky is the part from the algerian/noger border to arlit.
- does anyone have a name of a good guide on this track and is there enough trafic to make a little convoy?

thanks a lot

guido