Supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales took around 20 soldiers hostage on Friday after seizing a barracks in the Chapare region of central Bolivia, according to military sources. Morales’ supporters have been blocking the country’s main roads since October 14, in a sign of support for their leader, who is the target of an investigation for accusations of raping a teenage girl.
(RFI) “Irregular armed groups” have seized a barracks, ‘taking soldiers hostage’ and stealing ‘weapons and ammunition’, the Armed Forces said in a statement published on the X social network.
A defense source told France-Presse on condition of anonymity that around “20” soldiers had been captured.
Bolivian President Luis Arce demanded on Wednesday (30) “an immediate end to all the roadblocks” set up 17 days ago in the country by supporters of former President Evo Morales.
“There can be no dialogue without an end to the blockades and the pressure measures that are strangling” the country, Luis Arce declared in a message to the nation. “We therefore demand the immediate lifting of all blockade points,” he added.
Supporters of Evo Morales, president between 2006 and 2019, have been blocking the country’s main roads since October 14 in support of the leader, who is under investigation for the alleged rape of a teenage girl when he was in power. His lawyers claim that the case has already been investigated and closed in 2020.
Chicken shortage
Evo Morales says he is the victim of a “judicial persecution” orchestrated by the government of President Arce, his former ally and now rival for the ruling party’s candidacy in the 2025 presidential elections. Despite being disqualified, the former president wants to run for office again. On Sunday (27), he claimed to have been the target of an assassination attempt, considered a “staging” by the government.
One of the consequences of the blockades is a shortage of basic foodstuffs in the capital, La Paz, such as chicken. To remedy this situation, the government has decided to set up an air bridge to deliver 40,000 kilos of the product daily to residents of the capital.
Despite the emergency measure, the quantities are insufficient to meet demand and prices are high.
The Bolivian authorities estimate that the blockade is causing daily losses of around U$99 million (around R$580 million). If the situation persists, it could affect meat production for the end-of-year festivities.