It is not known if there were any decisive outcomes from their talks. But according to the former Niger leader, the pair spoke about security, climate, economy and social development challenges in the region.

Mr Issoufou was appointed chair of the high-level panel on security, governance and development in the Sahel by UN Secretary General António Guterres in September.

He said that his mission was to “assess various strategies that are currently being implemented to address the different challenges” in the Sahel.

The Sahel countries of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad have in the past decade been shaken by militant attacks and inter-communal conflicts.