A former rebel leader and politician in Niger, Rhissa Ag Boula, 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.
Ag Boula said in a statement that his new Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) aims to reinstate ousted 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.