Confronted by the putschists and their affiliations, an emerging resistance movement is taking shape. On the evening of August 8th, the former Tuareg rebel, Rhissa Ag Boula, officially declared the establishment of a Resistance Council for the Republic. In a resolute call to action, he implores the military to take decisive measures, including the apprehension of the junta’s leader, General Abdourahmane Tiani.
Within the foundational proclamation of the Resistance Council for the Republic (CRR), Rhissa Ag Boula unequivocally characterizes the coup executed by the president of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP) and the erstwhile commander of Mohamed Bazoum’s presidential guard as acts tantamount to “ignominy” and “treason”. He forthrightly castigates what he terms the “intransigent demeanor exhibited by specific junta constituents,” concurrently denouncing the worrisome inclinations towards soliciting the services of mercenaries and individuals with a history of war-related offenses, such as those affiliated with the Wagner group.
The CRR warns that he will give himself all the necessary means to restore President Bazoum to his functions and, in this sense, he affirms to fully support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its partners for military intervention.
A Very Influential Figure
Rhissa Ag Boula is far from unknown, he was a historic leader of the Tuareg rebellions of 1991 and 2007 and a former companion of the emblematic Algerian rebel Mano Dayak, former Minister of Tourism under the presidency of Mamadou Tandja against whom he will turn.
Boula had laid down the weapons, in 2011, at the election of Mahamadou Issoufou, of which he will become one of the closest advisers on security issues. Under the Mohamed Bazoum regime, he was minister of state in the presidency and number three in the government hierarchy.
According to Sahel experts, he remains a very influential figure in the Sahelian strip with recognized operational experience and a great knowledge of armed political dynamics in the Sahel.