And Issa Ag Bola, an ally of the Nigerien President, Mohamed Bazoum, and former leader of the rebel movement, announced that he took up arms against the army because of his support for the putschists.
Ag Bola said that he is “determined to initiate military action to ensure a return to legitimacy,” through a statement attributed to the Council of Resistance for the Republic, Monday, on social media and the Burkinabe “Le Faso”, which was formed after the coup that overthrew Bazoum on July 26. the past.
Ag Bola is from the Tuareg of Niger, and he previously led an armed rebellion in the 1990s before his faction entered a peace process, after which he turned to political action and became a minister.
Bazoum’s ally goals
Bazoum’s statement included 7 points that serve as a map of his work and goals:
• The Council of Resistance condemns in the strongest terms the position of General Abdel Rahman Chiani, the leader of the coup.
• Reaffirms that the elements of the army loyal to the coup are not at the service of the Republic and the nation, and as such the deserving men and women of Niger must mobilize to fight them.
• Welcomes the establishment of the National Liberation Front (FPL), “another movement formed by another ally of Bazoum”, and calls on its leaders to join the dynamics of returning to the constitutional order.
• Confirm his agreement with the “ECOWAS” group to intervene in order to overthrow the putschists.
• Determination to initiate military action.
• Invite everyone to join him in this savior national struggle.
• Hold the coup leaders alone responsible for everything that will happen.
The ability to confuse putschists
Regarding the seriousness and extent of this movement’s declaration of adopting armed action, the Nigerien political analyst, Jilani Hashim, told Sky News Arabia that Minister Issa Ag Bola was the leader of the most important rebel movement in the north before he signed a peace agreement with the authorities, and the involvement of his men in Government forces and society allowed successive governments to witness stability, unlike neighboring Mali, which lives in similar circumstances.
However, what happened since July 26 made them worried about their status and the rights they gained after leaving their arms, so they thought of returning to the rebellion, according to the Nigerian analyst’s estimation.
Hashem expects that the move of Ag Bola and his supporters “will change the balance of power, and will confuse the coup forces threatened by terrorist groups and the possible intervention of the ECOWAS forces.”
In turn, Mohamed Ag Ismail, a researcher in political science at the University of Bamako in Mali, confirms that the formation of the Ag Bola movement indicates the fears of some Tuareg, especially with an international and regional conflict looming on the horizon, as they fear for their position in the upcoming arrangements.
Possible external support
The Nihiri political analyst, Baraa Ahmed Youssef, agrees with Hashim that Ag Bola’s appeal may “change the scales”, suggesting in his comment to “Sky News Arabia” that he will obtain support from these parties:
Those who reject the coup, and they are many in Niger, but they remain silent after the putschists prevented them from demonstrating.
– The ministers who are outside Niger, have great power, and cause concern to the coup leaders.
Neighboring countries of Niger seek to restore the president to power by military force.
capabilities of the Nigerien army
Faced with these challenges, attention is drawn to the ability of the Niger army to confront them, according to sites concerned with monitoring armaments:
• The army ranked 119th in the world, according to the “Global Fire Power” website for the year 2023.
• In 2020, the Minister of Defense, Issoufou Katambe, announced to Parliament the plans to raise the number of army forces from 25,000 to 50,000 within 5 years.
• Its armament is old in armored vehicles and tanks, and it has logistic units of 10 mechanized infantry battalions, logistic and engineering battalions, a fire brigade, and infantry.
• Equipped with four-wheel drive Toyota Land Cruisers, which are equipped with machine guns of various calibers.
• The army relies, in part of its upcoming plans, on its cooperation with the armies of its neighbors, Mali and Burkina Faso, which announced on July 30 that any military intervention against Niger is a “declaration of war” on them as well.
#source #ally #Bazoum. #Nigers #putschists #facing #threat