Niamey: As ties between the West African nation and its former colonial ruler continued to deteriorate, Niger's junta, which took control of the country in a coup on July 26, announced on Friday that it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours.

Similar to recent coups in Burkina Faso and Mali, which are neighbours, the military takeover in Niger occurred amid a rising tide of anti-French sentiment, with some locals charging that France meddles in their internal affairs.

The decision to expel the ambassador was made in response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger," according to a statement from the foreign ministry established by the junta.

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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.

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.

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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.

The crisis in Niger, which started on July 26 when military officers took control and deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and put him under house arrest, has been under diplomatic pressure from the United States.

Only earlier this month did Kathleen Fitzgibbons, the new US ambassador to Niger, arrive in Niamey.

Only the French ambassador had been asked to leave, according to sources in the junta and a Nigerien security source.

According to an AFP report, Paris swiftly rejected the ultimatum against the French envoy and reiterated that it did not recognise the authority of the military rulers.

"The putschists do not have the authority to make this request, the ambassador's approval coming solely from the legitimate elected Nigerien authorities," the French foreign ministry was quoted as saying by AFP on Friday.

The coup has strained Niger's relationship with France, and this latest development casts further doubt on the future of joint military operations to quell an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region, which is rife with conflict.

After being overthrown, President Mohamed Bazoum has called for his reinstatement and stated that France will support ECOWAS's efforts to undo the coup.

It has also refused to formally recognise the junta's decision to revoke a number of military agreements with France in the beginning of August, claiming that these had been signed with Niger's "legitimate authorities."

The deterioration in Niger-France ties is reminiscent of post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, where French forces have been expelled and decades-long ties have been severed.

While the United States has about a thousand military personnel there, France has 1,500 soldiers stationed there who have been assisting Bazoum in the fight against jihadist forces that have been present in the nation for years.

As one of the world's largest producers of uranium and a base for French, US, and other foreign troops assisting in the fight against Islamist militant groups in the area, Niger is strategically significant.

The bloc of West African nations known as ECOWAS earlier on Friday urged the coup leaders in Niger to change their minds and pushed for the restoration of civilian rule while maintaining that the use of force was still "very much on the table."

The Economic Community of West African States demands an immediate return to constitutional order, in contrast to the three-year transition period that the generals who ousted Bazoum have proposed.

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The ECOWAS said talks remained its top priority while defence chiefs prepared a standby mission for a potential "legitimate use of force" to restore democracy if necessary. Delegations were hurriedly arriving in Niamey, according to the ECOWAS.

"Even now, it is not too late for the military to reconsider its course of action and listen to the voice of reason as the regional leaders will not condone a coup d'etat," ECOWAS commission president Omar Alieu Touray told reporters in Abuja. The community's resolve to stop the upswing in coup d'etats in the area is the real problem, according to the community. Sanctions have already been imposed on Niger by the ECOWAS to put pressure on the new government.