A group of soldiers led by the general commander of the Bolivian Army until yesterday, Juan José Zúñiga, arrived heavily armed at the square where the Government headquarters is located, and with a tank they knocked down the door, an action that the Bolivian president, Luis Arce, described it as an “attempted coup d’état.”
Zúñiga threatened to “change the government cabinet” after several rumors about his dismissal began to circulate on Tuesday night.
After about four hours of tension, the soldiers and tanks commanded by Zúñiga retreated.
Rumors spread on Tuesday night about his possible dismissal, supposedly because of what he said in an interview with a local channel on Monday, where he stated that he would “arrest” former President Evo Morales if he tried to run as a presidential candidate, which in his opinion is not qualified to be president of Bolivia again.
Yesterday, Juan José Zúñiga led a group of heavily armed soldiers, who with tanks broke into Plaza Murillo in front of the Casa Grande del Pueblo, headquarters of the Bolivian Executive in the City of La Paz.
A tank rammed the door of the Executive headquarters, after several soldiers surrounded the square; After knocking down the door of the building, Zúñiga, together with a group of soldiers, entered the Casa Grande del Pueblo for seven minutes, where President Luis Arce was with his vice president David Choquehuanca.
After leaving, he told the media that he was going to “restore” democracy in Bolivia and that he would free “all political prisoners,” including former interim president Jeanine Añez and opposition governor Luis Fernando Camacho.
President Luis Arce, after denouncing “irregular movements” of the military before the international community, said it was an “attempted coup d’état.”
Arce confronted Zúñiga at the entrance to the Executive headquarters and ordered him to “withdraw” the tanks and the military.
During the military action, Evo Morales, who has been fighting with Arce since 2023, was one of the first to denounce that a “coup d’état” was brewing.
Zúñiga and the military subsequently withdrew from Plaza Murillo, which they closed for several hours after a brief confrontation with the Bolivian Police Tactical Operations Unit.
After the retreat, President Arce and Vice President Choquehuanca went out onto the balcony of the Casa Grande del Pueblo and gave a speech in front of hundreds of people who came to support the Government, shouting “Lucho is not alone, damn it” and “the coup plotters will not pass.”
Zúñiga was captured leaving the General Staff, where he accused Luis Arce before the media of giving him the order to “remove” the “armored” because his “popularity” was falling.
#Failed #coup #Bolivia
2024-06-28 00:10:07