CHE WOULD BE PROUD

Armed group kidnaps more than 200 military personnel and seizes base in central Bolivia

Mitchell McCluskey and Mauricio Torres, CNN
Sat, November 2, 2024 at 2:42 PM MDT·2 min read


An armed group has taken control of a military post in central Bolivia and is holding more than 200 personnel hostage.

The Bolivian military said Friday that an “irregular armed group” had kidnapped military personnel and seized weapons and ammunition from the base situated near the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba. The Bolivian Foreign Ministry said more than 200 military personnel had been taken hostage during the incident.

Bolivian president Luis Arce said that the armed group was “affiliated” with former president Evo Morales, but did not offer evidence for the claim. CNN has reached out to Morales’ team for comment.

The armed forces urged the group to leave the barracks “immediately and peacefully,” emphasizing that these actions would be “considered treason to the country.”

The incident is the latest escalation in a period of unrest in the South American country as Morales and Arce clash ahead of the 2025 election.

In recent weeks, Morales’ supporters have set up blockades on major highways across the country, including in Cochabamba, in reaction to the government unveiling human trafficking charges against Morales. The blockades, which Bolivian police said involve “violent armed groups,” have led to food and fuel shortages in some cities.

Morales and the government have also traded accusations over an exchange that occurred in Cochabamba last weekend.

Bolivian Minister of Government Eduardo Del Castillo alleged that individuals in a car carrying Morales opened fire on police while trying to evade a checkpoint set up to deter drug trafficking. The former president denied the charge and accused the government of trying to orchestrate his assassination by firing at his vehicle.

CNN has reached out to the Bolivian government for more information on the events at the military base.


Bolivian ex-president’s supporters hold ‘20 soldiers hostage’ amid escalating tensions

Shweta Sharma

INDEPENDENT
Sat, November 2, 2024 

Bolivian ex-president’s supporters hold ‘20 soldiers hostage’ amid escalating tensions


Supporters of Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales stormed a military facility and took soldiers hostage, intensifying a standoff with the government over rape allegations, according to the country’s military.

The Bolivian Armed Forces said in a statement that “irregular armed groups” had kidnapped military personnel and taken control of military units in the central Chapare region, which has emerged as a battleground with supporters of Mr Morales surrounding the area.

The armed forces urged those responsible for the takeover to “immediately and peacefully” abandon the facility and warned that “anyone who takes up arms against the country will be considered a traitor”.


Around 20 soldiers were taken hostage by the armed groups, according to reports citing military sources.

The clashes between supporters of Mr Morales and the government erupted three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that the ex-president fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying their relationship as statutory rape.

Mr Morales has refused to testify in court regarding what he calls trumped-up rape charges.

President Luis Arce condemned the seizure of three military units by supporters of Mr Morales on Friday, calling it “an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the Indigenous peasant movement”.

Demonstrators block roads amid rising political tensions, in Parotani (REUTERS)

Mr Arce said: “The taking of a military unit is a crime of treason against the homeland and an affront to the country’s Constitution.”

“We have taken a first step: unblocking Cochabamba towards the west of our country. Now we will continue working until we free this department from the hostage situation to which it is subjected,” he said in another update on X.

Since reports circulated of a possible warrant against him, supporters of the country’s first Indigenous leader have erected roadblocks and fortified areas in Chapare to prevent his arrest.

Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales was in office from 2006 to 2019 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Images and videos showed at least 16 soldiers with their hands tied behind their backs, surrounded by members of the armed group.

Police officers attempted to clear the roadblocks, and 30 were injured after a standoff between security forces and supporters of Mr Morales. More than 50 protesters were arrested.

The coca-growing region of Chapare has emerged as the political bastion and refuge of Mr Morales, who was himself a former coca grower. Loyalist coca growers have kept watch to prevent his arrest.

On Sunday, Mr Morales shared a video claiming his car was shot at in what he described as an “assassination attempt” against him.

The Bolivian government denied claims that it was a targeted attack against Mr Morales, stating that police fired on the vehicle after coming under attack from Mr Morales’s convoy at a checkpoint.
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Bolivia's president accuses supporters of former leader Morales of seizing 3 military barracks
CARLOS VALDEZ
Fri, November 1, 2024 






Bolivia Roadblocks
Police launch tear gas to disperse supporters of former President Evo Morales who have been blocking roads for days to prevent him from facing a criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of a minor while he was in office, in Parotani, Bolivia, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Luis Arce on Friday condemned the seizure of three military units by supporters of former President Evo Morales, calling it “an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the Indigenous peasant movement.”

In a message on the social media platform X, Arce wrote that “the taking of a military unit is a crime of treason against the homeland and an affront to the country's Constitution."

Earlier on Friday the Bolivian Armed Forces said in a statement that “irregular armed groups” had kidnapped military personnel and took control of military units in the center of the country, where police officers began to clear the roads blocked 19 days ago by supporters of former President Evo Morales.


In the statement, the armed forces urged those responsible for the takeover to “immediately and peacefully” abandon the facility and warned that “anyone who takes up arms against the country will be considered a traitor.”

The warning came after videos circulated on social media with statements from a military leader who is believed to be detained confirming the “peaceful” takeover of a regiment in the coca-growing area of ​​Chapare. The authorities have neither confirmed nor denied that he is a member of the Army.

Meanwhile, the police mobilized a large number of troops and tractors to clear the roads of debris with the support of a fraction of the military police.

Officers clearing the roadblocks found an unexpected ally in the popular All Saints’ Day holiday, as many protesters left the roads to celebrate.

The conflict broke out three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying their relationship as statutory rape. Morales has refused to testify in court.

Since reports circulated of a possible warrant against him, the ex-president has been holed up in the Chapare region, in central Bolivia, where loyalist coca growers have kept watch to prevent his arrest.

Last week, 30 police officers were injured and more than 50 protesters were arrested after a standoff between security forces and supporters of Morales. But the so-called blockers regained control of the roads after the law enforcement agents passed through.

The most critical situation is taking place in the coca-growing region of Chapare, a political bastion and refuge of Morales, where his followers have surrounded and threatened to take over police and military barracks, demanding the closure of the judicial cases against the former president.

Several groups, including the mayor of La Paz, Iván Arias, have asked the government to declare a state of emergency in Cochabamba, the region hardest hit by the protests. The government has avoided sending out soldiers en masse to clear the roads. Opponents say the government is showing weakness in dealing with the conflict in the midst of an economy in crisis with rising living costs and fuel shortages.

Morales, a former coca grower, has retained significant support among poor and Indigenous Bolivians despite his resignation in 2019 amid mass protests over his disrupted re-election.

Up next

Supporters of Bolivia's ex-leader Morales detain 200 soldiers

AFP

Sat, November 2, 2024 at 11:23 PM MDT·2 min read

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Riot police clear a road blocked by supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales during a protest in Cochabamba department on November 1, 2024 (FERNANDO CARTAGENA) (FERNANDO CARTAGENA/AFP/AFP)

Supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales are holding at least 200 soldiers hostage, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday, as their weeks long standoff with the state escalates.

Three military units in central Bolivia's Chapare province were "assaulted by irregular groups" on Friday, with the assailants "taking more than 200 military personnel hostage" from three barracks, the ministry said.

"They seized weapons and ammunition," it added.

Backers of Morales, the country's first Indigenous leader, began blocking roads three weeks ago to prevent his arrest on what he calls trumped-up rape charges aimed at thwarting his political comeback.

The government had sent troops to the area in Cochabamba department to help police clear the roadblocks.

A video broadcast Friday showed 16 soldiers surrounded by protesters holding pointed sticks.

"They have cut off our water, electricity and are keeping us hostage," a uniformed man is heard saying.

- Hunger strike -

Morales, 65, was in office from 2006 to 2019, when he resigned under a cloud after elections marked by fraud.

Despite being barred from running again, Morales wants to challenge President Luis Arce, his former ally, for the nomination of the left-wing MAS party in elections next August.

Days after he led a march of thousands of mainly Indigenous Bolivians on the capital La Paz to protest Arce's policies, prosecutors announced Morales was under investigation for statutory rape, human trafficking and human smuggling over his alleged relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2015.

Morales, who has holed up in the rural Chapare region, has called the accusations "a lie".

Demanding the government negotiate with him, he launched a hunger strike on Friday. The following day, he pledged to continue it until police release his supporters.

On Friday, police arrested 66 people, adding to the dozens who have been arrested since the roadblocks began on October 14.

On Wednesday, Arce demanded an "immediate" end to the roadblocks, saying the government would "exercise its constitutional powers to safeguard the interests of the Bolivian people."

It was in Chapare that Morales claimed last week he was the victim of an assassination attempt that he blamed on state agents. A video he shared on social media showed his pickup truck riddled with bullet holes.

The government said police fired on the vehicle after Morales's convoy first opened fire at a checkpoint.

Morales's supporters initially demanded an end to what they called his "judicial persecution." But the protest movement has snowballed into a wider anti-government revolt marked by calls for Arce to resign.

They blame Arce, who has been in power since November 2020, for a sharp rise in food and fuel prices and shortages that pre-date the protests.

At least 90 people, mostly officers, have been injured in clashes surrounding the protests.