The regional bloc ECOWAS in West Africa ordered the leaders of the Niger coup one week to restore the government of deposed President Mohammed Bazoum or face sanctions and the use of force.

The new military authorities of Niger might face sanctions against their finances and travel, as well as a no-fly zone, according to the regional leaders meeting in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.

With military action a possibility too, ECOWAS defence chiefs would meet immediately, they said in a communique, also condemning support for the coup from some foreign nations and military contractors.

The coup in Niger has been widely condemned by neighbours and international partners including the United States, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and former colonial power France.

But the boss of Russia’s private Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin hailed the coup as good news and offered his fighters’ services.