The government of Bolivia has suffocated in a matter of hours the Coup attempt headed by general Juan José Zúñigawho on Wednesday took over Plaza Murillo in La Paz, the center of political power in the country, with the military and broke into the headquarters of the Executive. An attempt that has resulted in several injuries and has been met with unanimous condemnation by the international community.
The military, heavily armed and led by the hitherto general commander of the Bolivian Army, They broke down the door of the government headquarters with a tankan action that the Bolivian president, Luis Arcecondemned as a “Coup attempt”.
Zuniga threatened to “change the government cabinet” After Tuesday night, rumors spread about his dismissal. However, after some four hours of tension, the military and the tanks finally retreated. Arce has replaced the entire military leadership, whose former head has been arrested and attempts are being made to implicate him.
Rumors of dismissal of the rebel general
Everything began to take shape on Tuesday night, when they ran rumors about the possible dismissal of Zúñiga following his words in an interview with a local channel on Monday, where he stated that he would “arrest” the former president Evo Morales if he tried to be a presidential candidate again.
Already on Wednesday afternoon, he led a group of heavily armed soldiers, who They broke into Plaza Murillo with tanks in front of the Casa Grande del Pueblo, headquarters of the Bolivian Executive in the City of La Paz.
Within minutes, the military began giving orders for people to leave the place. all the soldiers They carried weapons, ammunition of war and ‘antimontín’ equipment such as tear gas, in addition to a hostile attitude, according to the Efe agency.
Assault on the headquarters of the Bolivian Government
At 15:51 local time, A tank rammed the door of the Executive headquarters, after several soldiers surrounded the square. After knocking down the door of the building, Zúñiga and a group of soldiers entered the Casa Grande del Pueblo for seven minutes, where President Arce was with his vice president, David Choquehuanca.
After leaving, he told the media that he was going to “reestablish” democracy in Bolivia already release “all political prisoners”including the former interim president Jeanine Anez and the opposition governor Luis Fernando Camacho.
The President’s response
Arce, after initially denouncing before the international community “irregular movements” of the military, later asserted that it was a “Coup attempt”. “We have remained in Casa Grande, where you have placed us, because the only ones who can get us out of here are you, brothers,” he said on state television.
President confronted Zúñiga at the entrance to the Executive headquarters and ordered him to “withdraw” the tanks and the military.
For his part, former President Morales, who has fought with Arce since 2023, was among the first to denounce that a “coup d’état” was brewing and called for a “national mobilization” to defend democracy. “We will not allow the Armed Forces to violate democracy and intimidate the people,” he said.
Dismissal of the military leadership and withdrawal
In an express ceremony at the Casa Grande del Pueblo, Arce relieved the entire military leadership and swore in the new commanders of the Armed Forces, while Zúñiga and his soldiers were still in front of the Government headquarters. The Bolivian president took the opportunity to recognize the Bolivian Police for remaining faithful to the Executive.
At 5:30 p.m., Zúñiga and the military retreated of Plaza Murillo, which was closed for several hours, after a brief confrontation with the Tactical Unit of Police Operations of Bolivia.
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 there to support the Government between shouts of “Lucho is not alone, damn it” and “the coup plotters will not pass.”
Finally, the rebel general Zúñiga was captured at 7:00 p.m. local time of Bolivia leaving the General Staff, where he accused Arce himself in front of the media of giving him the order to “bring out” the “armored vehicles” because his “popularity” was falling. Thus ended a few hours in which uncertainty took hold in Bolivia, with scenes that had not been seen since the political and social crisis of 2019.
Source: Lasexta
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
