RABAT, August 17. /TASS/. General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who heads the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country that was set up by Niger’s mutinous soldiers, has met with Gabonese Foreign Minister Hermann Immongault, RTN television reported.

Immongault came to Niger’s capital Niamey as a special envoy of Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who currently holds the chairmanship of the Economic Community of Central African States. Immongault passed Tchiani a message from Ondimba. No details of the talks between Tchiani and the Gabonese minister have been reported.

Immongault also traveled to Abuja earlier this week as a special envoy of the Gabonese president and met with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is the current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS. The Gabonese foreign minister highlighted the role of ECOWAS and President Tinubu in taking steps to restore democracy in Niger, adding that "President Bongo and ECCAS fully support all ECOWAS resolutions."

"President Bongo is following your efforts and those of other ECOWAS leaders relating to the situation in Niger. President Bongo and ECCAS strongly condemn the coup in Niger. He has sent me here to tell you that he supports ECOWAS and your leadership in what you are doing to ensure that democratic power is restored in Niger," the minister said.

In late July, a group of military rebels in Niger announced the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum. They then established the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, to run the country. Leaders of the ECOWAS countries slapped harsh sanctions on Niger and demanded that the mutinous soldier release Bazoum, or face the use of force.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said upon returning from the ECOWAS summit in Abuja on August 10 that the leaders of the group’s member countries had agreed to start a military operation in Niger as soon as possible.