France and Italy on Tuesday said they were prepared to fly out their citizens and other Europeans from Niger today, six days after a coup that toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel and stoked anti-French demonstrations.

The Foreign Ministry in France said "In the face of a deteriorating security situation in Niamey and taking advantage of the relative calm in Niamey, an operation of evacuation by air is being prepared,

The evacuations "will take place very soon in a very limited span of time," it said. The foreign ministry in Paris later said the evacuations would begin later on Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Italy, the Italian government said it was putting on a "special flight for those (Italians) who want to leave the country," adding that this was "not an evacuation." It said there were around 90 Italian nations in Niamey, out of just under 500 across the country.

Access24 reports that the West African bloc ECOWAS on Sunday slapped sanctions on Niger and warned it may use force as it gave the coup leaders a week to reinstate Bazoum.

The following day, the junta accused France of seeking to "intervene militarily," a charge which drew a French denial, while junta-ruled Mali and Burkina Faso warned any military intervention in Niger would be a "declaration of war" against them.

President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown on July 26 by his own guard, in the region's third putsch in as many years following takeovers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.

After hostile crowds gathered on Sunday outside the French embassy and Niger accused France of plotting to intervene militarily, Paris said Tuesday it would withdraw its citizens and offered to evacuate other Europeans as well.

Meanwhile the Newsroom also reports that there are an estimated 600 French nationals in Niger, not counting visiting tourists or French residents currently outside the country.