Units from the Burkina Faso army have arrived in Niger as part of a partnership between the two countries for training and developing the capabilities of their forces in combating terrorism.

The ruling military council in Niger stated that the deployment of Burkina Faso army units in Niger is not directed against the ECOWAS group.

Last August, military coup leaders in Niger gave the green light for the armies of neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene in Niger "in case of aggression."

This announcement came at the end of a visit by Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Olivia Rouamba and her Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop to Niamey, where they were received by the new strongman of the country, General Abdrahmane Tchiani.

At the end of the visit, the Assistant Secretary-General at the Nigerien Foreign Ministry, Omar Ibrahim Sidi, read a statement in which the ministers expressed their "welcome" to the orders issued by Niamey, which "allow the defense and security forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene in the territory of Niger in the event of aggression."

After the military coup that took place in Niamey on July 26, the military rulers of Burkina Faso and Mali expressed their solidarity with the new Nigerien authorities.

The support of these two countries for their neighbor became particularly evident after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened to intervene militarily against the coup leaders in Niger to restore constitutional order in the country.

In response to this threat, both countries warned ECOWAS that any intervention in Niger would be considered a "declaration of war," a point that was reiterated on Thursday by their respective ministers.

General Tchiani raised his warning to ECOWAS on Saturday by stating that any foreign military intervention in his country would not be "a walk in the park as some might think."