Following last week's coup in Niger, ECOWAS has taken a strong stance by imposing sanctions on the country.

The regional bloc has also warned that the situation could escalate to the use of force within a week if the ousted President Bazoum is not reinstated.

In efforts to address the situation, ECOWAS dispatched a delegation to Niger for negotiations with the military officials who orchestrated the coup. Meanwhile, defense chiefs from the region have gathered for a two-day meeting in Nigeria to discuss the unfolding developments.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is resolute in its demand for the reinstatement of elected President Mohamed Bazoum within the specified timeframe.

“The military option is the very last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security.

“There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite,” he told reporters in Abuja.

Former Nigerian military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar is leading the ECOWAS delegation to Niger, and discussions with the military government have commenced in Niamey, according to Musah.

Additional details about the mission are not clear, as Amos Lungu, spokesperson for the ECOWAS Commission, has not responded to queries from Al Jazeera.

The military administration in Niger is under the leadership of General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who formerly headed Bazoum's presidential guard. Tchiani took control after detaining Bazoum in his palace on July 26 and subsequently declaring himself head of state.

Previously, ECOWAS had dispatched Benin President Patrice Talon and interim military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby from Chad to engage in negotiations with Tchiani.

ECOWAS has encountered challenges in halting the decline of democratic practices in West Africa. Several member states, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, have experienced coups within the past two years. Additionally, there was an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.

However, ECOWAS has adopted its most resolute stance yet towards Niger. This includes the implementation of various sanctions, such as the closure of regional borders with the nation.

The bloc also slapped financial sanctions on the coup leaders and the country, freezing “all commercial and financial transactions” between member states and Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, often ranking last on the United Nations Human Development Index.

A source at Niger’s power company Nigelec told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that neighbouring Nigeria has disconnected the high-voltage line transporting electricity to Niger. The latter depends on Nigeria for 70 percent of its power.

The sanctions have prompted Mali and Burkina Faso, both still ruled by the military, to say that any intervention in Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them, too.

Niger coup supporters attack French embassyNiger is a key Western ally in a fight against armed groups and the coup has been condemned by foreign powers who fear it could allow the groups to gain ground.

“The UK very much welcomes ECOWAS’ actions and [they] are indeed decisive actions with a strong commitment to democracy,” said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly after meeting Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Wednesday.

The coup leaders announced overnight they had reopened Niger’s land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Libya after closing them last week.

The reopened land borders are mainly in remote desert areas. Niger’s key entryways for trade and commerce remain closed due to imposed by ECOWAS.

France, the United States, Germany, and Italy have troops in Niger on anti-rebel and training missions, helping the army to fight groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

There has been no announcement of troops being withdrawn so far. Germany’s defence minister said on Wednesday that there were no concerns about the safety of German soldiers.

Any Western military intervention to restore democracy must be ruled out, as it would be “perceived as a new colonisation”, said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.