West African leaders on Sunday gave the military junta in Niger one week to cede power, warning they did not rule out the "use of force", and imposed immediate financial sanctions.

The leaders of Niger’s military coup said earlier on Sunday that they believed regional body ECOWAS was on the point of staging a military intervention in the capital of the Sahel country.

Speaking ahead of the ECOWAS crisis summit, the junta said: “The aim of this meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger, in the form of an imminent military intervention in Niamey, in cooperation with African countries who are not members of the regional body and certain Western nations.”

The statement was read out on national television on Saturday evening by Amadou Abdramane, a member of the junta which this week ousted President Bazoum and declared itself in charge.