resistance to the military
Former rebel declares war on putschists in Niger
08/09/2023 4:53 p.m
In Niger, the military take power. But now resistance is forming. A minister of the deposed government wants to defy the putschists. As a former rebel leader, he has influence and experience.
In Niger, for the first time since the coup, there are signs of domestic resistance to the military. Barely two weeks after the coup, a minister and influential former Tuareg rebel leader proclaimed a resistance movement in the West African country. Rhissa Ag Boula, who was Minister of State before the coup, announced the creation of the so-called Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) in a statement circulating on the internet since last night.
“The CRR is intended to be a political movement working to restore order, constitutional legality and President Mohamed Bazoum in all capacities,” the letter, dated Tuesday, reads.
On July 26, officers of the Presidential Guard in Niger ousted the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The commander of the elite unit, Abdourahamane Tiani, subsequently proclaimed himself the new ruler. Shortly after Tiani came to power, the putschists suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
From rebel to tourism minister
“Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people who are supposed to be protecting the country.” The CRR will “use all necessary means to eliminate this perfidious practice of questioning the decisions of the people by corrupt and irresponsible military,” it said. The Council pledged to support the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and their international partners, particularly in the event of military intervention to ensure the return to constitutional order. Niger is the world’s seventh largest producer of uranium, the most commonly used fuel for nuclear energy. The country also produces 20,000 barrels of oil per day.
Former rebel leader Rhissa Ag Boula is a colorful figure in politics in the Sahel country of around 26 million people, around two thirds of which are in the Sahara desert. In the 1990s he was one of the leaders of the uprising of the nomadic Tuareg in the north of the country bordering Algeria and Libya and became Minister of Tourism as part of a peace process.
After being charged with the murder of a political opponent, he took up arms again between 2007 and 2010. As part of the government’s reconciliation with the rebels, Ag Boula then became the President’s special adviser and has served as Minister of State since 2016. Without the support of the Tuareg, the military would find it difficult to gain control of the north of the country.