The West African economic and political bloc, ECOWAS says the region’s army chiefs will meet in Ghana later this week.

The meeting is reportedly to discuss a possible intervention in Niger, where a junta held a coup last month.

This meeting had previously been postponed for technical reasons.

Now regional democracies seem willing to discuss military intervention in Niger, something analysts say could destabilise an already volatile region.

Over the weekend there was hope for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Niger, following a meeting between the head of the junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, and a group of influential Islamic clerics.

But the next day, the tone shifted - the organisers of the coup alleged democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum had committed acts of treason and claimed to have enough evidence to prosecute him.

The move has been condemned by ECOWAS and the UN.

The head of neighbouring Mali’s interim military government says he has spoken to President Vladimir Putin over the phone about the crisis in Niger, and that Mr Putin underlined the importance of a peaceful resolution to the situation in Niger to ensure a more stable Sahel.