Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and his family are running out of food and have been living without electricity and running water for a week. 

An adviser told The Associated Press that the family had only rice and canned food left to eat. 

Mr Bazoum has been in detention at his residence since his presidential guards illegally overthrew him. 

ECOWAS ordered the activation of its standby force on Thursday, hoping for a peaceful restoration of Niger’s constitutional government following the July 26 coup.

The regional bloc made the announcement in a communique issued at the end of a regional conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

However, Niger’s junta leaders rejected the regional gathering’s attempt to mediate a peaceful resolution to the crisis, instead appointing a new government of 21 ministers.

Three coup leaders were appointed to the defence, interior, and sports ministries. The broadcast on state television made no additional announcements.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed support for ECOWAS during the summit but did not openly back its plans for military intervention.

“ECOWAS, an organisation that brings together West African countries, is playing a key role in making clear the imperative of a return to constitutional order, and we very much support ECOWAS’s leadership and work on this,” he said.

Meanwhile, there is a reported threat to Mr Bazoum’s life.