Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. (PHOTO / REUTERS)

NIAMEY/ABUJA – Niger's junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said on Friday it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours, as relations between the West African country and its former colonial ruler deteriorated further.

Like recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover in Niger came amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with some locals accusing the European country of interfering in their affairs.

In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger”.

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It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister.

The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

West African bloc ECOWAS said on Friday it is working toward an amicable solution to restore constitutional order in Niger

Official-seeming statements were shared widely online on Friday that appeared to show Niger ordering the US ambassador and German ambassador to leave the country in similar terms to the statement about the French envoy.

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey,

The US State Department on Friday said Niger had informed it this had not been issued by its foreign ministry. "No such request has been made to the US government," it said.

A source in the junta and a Nigerien security source said only the French ambassador had been asked to leave.

The coup has pushed Niger's long-standing relationship with France to breaking-point and this latest move raises further doubts about the future of joint military efforts to fight an Islamist insurgency in the conflict-torn Sahel region.

France has called for President Mohamed Bazoum to be returned to office following his ouster and has said it would support efforts by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to overturn the coup.

It has also not officially recognized a decision by the junta in early August to revoke a raft of military agreements with France, saying these had been signed with Niger's "legitimate authorities."

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The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Niger has strategic significance as one of the world's biggest producers of uranium and as a base for French, US and other foreign troops that are helping to fight Islamist militant groups in the region.

Search for 'amicable solution'

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Friday that it is working toward an amicable solution to restore constitutional order in Niger.

Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, said at a press conference in the Nigerian capital of Abuja that the regional bloc would maintain its interest in the economic prosperity and social welfare of the citizens of the landlocked West African country.

Touray said the aspirations of the Nigerien people "can only be met through democratic means and participatory governance."

The 15-member intergovernmental organization, through its special envoys on Niger's political impasse, has been engaging the Niger's junta in dialogue following the July coup.

ECOWAS has called for unconditional release of Bazoum and his family members, saying the bloc's standby force was ready to go to Niger for a possible military intervention.

READ MORE: Diplomatic solution for Niger 'within reach', says ECOWAS

In response to "any form of aggression against Niger," Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed fighter jets and helicopters in the country to show solidarity with the junta.

On Tuesday, ECOWAS' special envoy Abdulsalami Abubakar told reporters that a diplomatic solution to the crisis was within reach as discussions with the junta has shown positive signs.