The Bolivian military and armored vehicles surrounded government buildings in La Paz and attempted to enter the presidential palace on Wednesday in a failed coup attempt.
“We cannot allow coup attempts to take Bolivian lives once again. We want to urge everyone to defend democracy,” Arce said from the presidential residence, Casa Grande.
According to footage from the scene, armed soldiers gathered around Murillo Plaza, a main square in La Paz where the national executive and legislative offices are located.
Armored vehicles were seen ramming into the doors of Bolivia’s government palace, according to Associated Press, as the country’s former President Evo Morales, who, like the incumbent, is in Bolivia’s Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, said on X that a “coup d’état is brewing.”
Morales, who publicly split from his one-time ally Arce, also called on “the social movements of the countryside and the city to defend democracy.” Morales resigned in 2019 following mounting protests over accusations of fraud in the elections; at the time, he claimed he was forced out in a coup.
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Later, the president said that the general had been arrested by his own troops when they realized he was attempting a coup. The President replaced other senior military leaders.
The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce has just stated during a Press Conference that the Leader of the Coup d’état in the Capital of La Paz, General Juan José Zúñiga has been Arrested by his own Troops after they realized he was conducting a Coup against the Government; with all… pic.twitter.com/1Z850U8uCK
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 26, 2024
The new head of the army orders troops back to bases.
“I order all that are mobilized to return to their units, said the newly named army chief José Wilson Sánchez, per the Associated Press. “No one wants the images we’re seeing in the streets.”
The outlet reported that soon after the troops near the palace began to withdraw.
BREAKING: Bolivia’s presidential palace is being stormed in what appears to be a military coup attempt. pic.twitter.com/hxKvzPki0z
— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) June 26, 2024
Breaking: Bolivia’s presidential palace is being stormed in an apparent military coup attempt. pic.twitter.com/z0Rx3VQyhw
— Andy Ngô ️ (@MrAndyNgo) June 26, 2024
BREAKING: Bolivia’s Presidential Palace has been stormed by soldiers in an apparent coup attempt according to Bloomberg.
The incident came moments after an armored vehicle crashed into the building.
Bolivian President Luis Arce said that military units were conducting… pic.twitter.com/FF2a3EmcH6
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 26, 2024
| ULTIMA HORA: Militares patriotas se rebelan contra el régimen comunista de Luis Arce y Evo Morales en Bolivia y le dan un golpe de Estado. Los soldados se cansaron del socialismo chavista del siglo XXI . ¿Apoyas esta rebelión patriota en contra del comunismo en Bolivia? pic.twitter.com/JkGFUDc5bK
— Eduardo Menoni (@eduardomenoni) June 26, 2024
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