Former Nigerien rebel leader and politician Rhissa Ag Boula has launched his counter-coup movement, opposing the junta led by Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niamey late last month.
In a statement Wednesday (August 9), Ag Boula has formed the Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR), which aimed to restore ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently still held under house arrest and forced to eat dry rice and pasta as he refused to cede his power.
"Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it," his statement said.
The announcement came as diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup have stalled after Tchiani 's military government rejected the emissaries sent by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
They have also refused entry to other African and United Nations (UN) envoys Tuesday (August 8), resisting pressure to negotiate before a summit on Thursday (August 10), at which ECOWAS heads of state would discuss the possible use of force.
Despite being physically isolated, Bazoum has been in contact with the outside world. He wrote an article for the Washington Post on August 3, calling on the US to prevent Russian influence from seeping into his country.
He also got to talk to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Tuesday even if he did not have the chance to meet with his envoy, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, during her visit to Niamey the day before. Nuland's purpose for visiting Niger was to meet with senior coup leaders, which she described as "extremely frank" and "quite difficult."
Meanwhile, Nigerien Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou told French media Bazoum was in good spirits despite being held in a "catastrophic situation."
Niger's coup leaders also said France violated their airspace after they closed it on Sunday due to the threat of military intervention. French authorities have not yet made any statements on the matter as of this report.
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Ag Boula added in his statement he and his council supports ECOWAS and other international actors seeking to restore constitutional order in Niger, saying his group would make itself available to the bloc for any useful purpose.
Other members of the CRR said several Nigerien political figures had joined the group but could not make their allegiance public for safety reasons.
Ag Boula became known for his 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 the democratic government under Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou, Al Jazeera reported.
The statement made by Ag Boula and his influence in the northern part of Niger is expected to bring worry to the Niamey junta. Support from Tuaregs would be key to securing the military government's control beyond Niamey's city limits.
Meanwhile, democratic ECOWAS member states like Nigeria seek to have Bazoum reinstated to his post as it had been relatively successful in containing a deadly campaign by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State which has devastated the Sahel region.
