Failed coup attempt in Bolivia by Dismissed Army Chief
On June 26, a group of Bolivian military officers led by General Juan Jose Zuniga, who was dismissed as army commander on June 25, occupied the square in front of the government building in La Paz
On June 26, a group of Bolivian military officers led by General Juan Jose Zuniga, who was dismissed as army commander on June 25, occupied the square in front of the government building in La Paz.
Zuniga demanded that democracy be “restored” and that a number of prisoners be released, including the country’s former acting president, Jeanine Anez.
Bolivian President Luis Arce slammed the military’s actions as an attempted coup and named a new commander of the armed forces. The new commander of the Bolivian armed forces, Jose Wilson Sanchez, ordered all servicemen to return to their units. The military then began to leave the square.
Bolivian Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said that the authorities are in full control of the country’s armed forces after the coup attempt. According to the minister, all units have been ordered to return to their duties as of Thursday. At least nine people were wounded in the coup attempt, according to the country’s interior minister, Carlos del Castillo.
The Bolivian law enforcement arrested at least 10 servicemen, involved in the coup attempt in the republic, Minister of Government Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio announced.
“About ten servicemen, who took part in the conspiracy that aimed to oust the democratically elected government, have been arrested,” he said.
A criminal investigation has been launched against him. The authorities say they have the situation in the country under full control. The Bolivian public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation into Zuniga and other participants in the events, and has ordered the rebel general’s arrest.
The warrant states that “Zuniga and others [involved in the coup attempt] are suspected of committing acts of terrorism and armed rebellion against public security and state sovereignty.”
The general gave his own version of the events to the media, saying that he communicated with President Luis Arce on June 23 and the head of state asked him to take these actions to help boost his popularity.
The former commander of the Bolivian Navy, Juan Arnes Salvador, was also detained in connection with the attempted coup. The country’s interior minister, Carlos del Castillo, said that a group of other people remained under suspicion
The authorities announced that the Bolivian general Juan Jose Zuniga, who took the troops to the square before the government building in La Paz, may be sentenced to 15-20 years. According to the arrest warrant for the general, published earlier, Zuniga and other participants of the coup attempt are being suspected of committing acts of terrorism and an armed revolt against public security and state sovereignty
As per some analysts it was the US which helped engineer the recent coup in Bolivia.
The attempted coup in Bolivia, was initiated by the US special services. The reasons are : First, it is Bolivia’s bid to join BRICS, and second, Bolivia has the world’s largest reserves (24% of the world’s total) of lithium, a metal that plays a key role in the development of green energy and high-tech sector.
Among other reasons, is a deal with Russia to build a $600 million industrial complex in Bolivia to mine and produce lithium carbonate. One more reason, according to the analyst, is the creation of the continent’s first centre for nuclear medicine, which makes the country the Latin American leader in the treatment of cancer. Also, the Alto Nuclear Research and Technology Centre was started there in 2023 with the purpose to allow Bolivia to conduct fundamental and applied scientific research.
It is likely that a group of pro-American members of the military elite was formed and they attempted to change power by force. The communication that is still ongoing through the Washington-based Organization of American States, an organization that trains commanders in defence ministries across the region, could also have had an impact on the formation of a pro-US stratum in Bolivia’s military force.
Furthermore, the expert said Bolivia has intense cooperation not only with Russia, but also with China, which invests in Bolivian transportation and energy infrastructure.
He said that in April 2023, General Laura Richardson, commander of US Southern Command, visited Bolivia to express her interest and concern about Bolivian lithium.
“Essentially, the Bolivian president was then issued an ultimatum by Washington, and what we have been seeing in the past day is its consequences,” the analyst said.
