I don't think the lack of interaction is the biggest problem (though I certainly wouldn't mind more), I think it's more a matter of lack of flavorful immersion. Sure, you can open up the menu and see how many rebels are mobilizing, but that doesn't really tell you a story. Imagine if you put a face on these rebels, maybe there's a leader with a specific origin and the game tells you what he's currently doing and shows him moving from agitator to revolutionary.
Overall, I think giving faces to mechanics (not only rebels, but political parties, POP leaders, etc) would go a long way.