Bolivia’s military reported Friday that an armed group believed to be supporters of the former president seized a military post in the central part of the country and are still holding more than 200 soldiers captive.
The country’s foreign ministry said in an update that the armed group seized weapons and ammunition and three military units were attacked and subsequently captured. President Luis Arce said the armed group was linked to former President Evo Morales, but did not provide evidence for this claim.
Local television showed footage of a number of soldiers with their hands behind their backs, surrounded by members of the armed group. The country’s armed forces called on the group to leave the barracks “immediately and peacefully,” emphasising that these actions would be “considered treason to the country.”
The incident is another escalation in a period of turmoil in Bolivia, as Morales and Arce clash ahead of the 2025 elections. Morales supporters have been blocking streets across the country for 19 days demanding an end to the investigation of the former president on suspicion of raping a minor and human trafficking, which he denies.
Apart from, last Sunday, Morales shared a video showing his car being fired upon in what he called an attempted assassination attempt on him. Despite, the government has denied Morales’ claims that it ordered a targeted attack on him. Bolivian government minister Eduardo Del Castillo said the men in the car in which Morales was travelling opened fire on police as they tried to bypass a checkpoint set up to prevent drug trafficking.
Morales and Arce intend to run as the ruling Mas party’s candidate in the country’s 2025 presidential election. Morales, serving as president from 2006 to 2019, was declared the winner of the 2019 election but resigned weeks later after nationwide protests sparked by allegations of electoral fraud.
