A former rebel leader and politician in Niger has launched a movement opposing the military government that took power in a July 26 coup, a first sign of internal resistance to army rule in the strategically important Sahel country.

In a statement seen on Wednesday, Rhissa Ag Boula said his new Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) aims to reinstate overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum who has been in detention at his residence since the takeover.

“Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it,” the statement said.
Ag Boula’s statement said it supports ECOWAS and any other international actors seeking to restore constitutional order in Niger, adding that it would make itself available to the bloc for any useful purpose.

Another CRR member said several Nigerien political figures had joined the group but could not make their allegiance public for safety reasons.

Ag Boula played a leading role in uprisings by Tuaregs, a nomadic ethnic group present in Niger’s desert north, in the 1990s and 2000s. Like many former rebels, he was integrated into government under Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou.

While the extent of support for the CRR is unclear, Ag Boula’s statement will worry the coup leaders given his influence among Tuaregs who control commerce and politics in much of the vast north. Support from Tuaregs would be key to securing the military government’s control beyond Niamey’s city limits.

The coup has already led to border and airspace closures that have cut off supplies of medicine and food, hampering humanitarian aid in one of the world’s poorest countries.

ECOWAS has said the use of force would be the last resort. The bloc’s defence chiefs have agreed on a possible military action plan, which heads of state will discuss at their summit on Thursday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

Niger currently hosts US, French, German and Italian troops under agreements made with the now-deposed civilian government.

opamoses1:

According to you, ECOWAS = Yoruba.

opamoses1:
Mali about to turn to another Libya. Even the Fulanis are scared of the Tueregs.

BiafraAburi:

What we know is that the USA and France have lost it all in Mali and is about to use your agbado drug lord to fight the coupist. They know his drug history, so he must serve their interest in Niger republic or they will expose him more.

raskymonojendor:

You are right and they are spread all over west and northern Africa. They are nomads too.

BiafraAburi:

They are not many. Stop exaggerating. Read about them before writing what you do not know. They are not in every West African countries. They are only being projected to be used by the French and America to fight the coupists for interest sake and your drug lord will do the job of instigating ecowas to join in the fight.

raskymonojendor:

And Mali is the greater loser. After France and USA moved out, half of the country has been taken over by jihadist. In the next 5 years, Mali would be the home territory of ISIL in West Africa

BiafraAburi:

They are not many. Stop exaggerating. Read about them before writing what you do not know. They are not in every West African countries. They are only being projected to be used by the French and America to fight the coupists for interest sake and your drug lord will do the job of instigating ecowas to join in the fight.

raskymonojendor:

There are over 2 million of them in Niger republic alone, and are spread out across West and North Africa.

You think the former two president that integrated this rebel warlord into Niger government were stupid abi.

Ps, that druglord is the Nigerian president. Kiss the truth.

opamoses1:

Do they look like a joke to you unlike your rag tag ESN UGM IPOB lol

BiafraAburi:

I told you to read more and stop exaggerating. No one is taking all you lagos ibadan expressway gutter nonsense any serious anymore. The Tuareg population in Africa is about 4 million and they are in only about 5 African countries including your cesspit.

BiafraAburi:

I only told you to get ready to fight Russia in niger republic. Don't back off after your trade mark gra-gra. We are enjoying the whole situation and we will be urging you on to go fight in real war for the first time in your miserable lives. This is not about killing innocent defenseless Biafrans. This is real war with men for agbados to prove themselves as not cowards.

BiafraAburi:
I hope the yorubas will fight this war they are itching to instigate for their white masters. We do not want to see any trade mark gra-gra and then backing off.

raskymonojendor:

You are just another porous head IPOB. If you spend less time listening to Simon Ekpa, you would be smarter than you currently are. You call them just 4million but they control a good swat of western Libya as well.

Your IPOB militants with 30 million Igbo population can't even control the landlocked tiny Alaibo.

BiafraAburi:

I told you to read more and stop exaggerating. No one is taking all you lagos ibadan expressway gutter nonsense any serious anymore. The Tuareg population in Africa is about 4 million and they are in only about 5 African countries including your cesspit.

raskymonojendor:

Olodo Omo nna. Russia is not getting involved in Niger. Russia is different from Wagner military contractors..
Russia condemned the coupist and called the seizure of power anti constitutional.

BiafraAburi:

Dumbo, have you ever seen where Russia declared their involvement before? Who are the Wagners and who are the Russians? All of you Agbados are stark illiterates. Russia don't get directly involved. They use Wagner for their dirty jobs around the world, but everyone except the agbados knows that Wagner = Russia/Putin.

Burob:
Same place dey born you?

BiafraAburi:

Dumbo, have you ever seen where Russia declared their involvement before? Who are the Wagners and who are the Russians? All of you Agbados are stark illiterates. Russia don't get directly involved. They use Wagner for their dirty jobs around the world, but everyone except the agbados knows that Wagner = Russia/Putin.

BiafraAburi:

No, i was born in Biafra. You, in the cesspit.

BiafraAburi:

Illiterate. You can't even read. Your map and illustration said that the Tuareg are controlling only the little yellow dot on the map. May be you are blind, daft and dumb at the same time that you can't see nor read.

raskymonojendor:

Walahi. You are dumber than I thought.

Wagner almost toppled Putin a few weeks ago. Why are people from your tribe so foolish like this

BiafraAburi:

Mumu, it was a ploy by Putin to fool the West and dumbos like you. Wagner came into Moscow and no single exchange of fire between them and Moscow where Putin is? All of a sudden, Wagner chief was exiled into Belarus, a Putin strong hold and nothing happened to him? You must be daft to believe what you wrote above. Do you know the real chase master? His name is Putin. Dumbo!!