The rebel-appointed Chief of Staff of Niger's armed forces, Moussa Salau Barmou, has directed the country's armed forces to be put on maximum alert, a radio message said.
"From the moment you receive this message, bring all your personnel to a state of maximum readiness," an urgent radio message from Barmou said.
The chief explained that the move came amidst increasingly tangible threats of aggression against Niger, in order to avoid general surprise as well as to ensure an adequate response.
A coup took place in Niger on July 26. Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani. Following the coup, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze rebels' assets and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country.
In early August, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided at a summit in Nigeria's capital Abuja to deploy the bloc's standby forces to press Nigerian coup leaders to restore the nation's detained president, Mohamed Bazoum, to power.
Against this backdrop, the transitional governments of Burkina Faso and Mali declared in a joint statement that any military intervention against Niger would mean a declaration of war against them.
On Friday, French media reported, citing Niger's Foreign Ministry, that during a visit to Niamey delegations from Mali and Burkina Faso welcomed the signing of orders allowing Malian and Burkinabe forces "to intervene on Niger territory in the event of aggression."