2024-07-04 15:30:23
Bolivian President Luis Arce on Wednesday denounced the “irregular mobilizations” of his country’s military personnel.
“We denounce irregular mobilizations by some units of the Bolivian Army. Democracy must be respected,” he said in a message posted on his X account.
Local media showed images of troops deployed in La Paz’s Plaza Murillo, where the government headquarters is located. Bolivian radio stations reported the entry of soldiers into the government palace.
General Juan José Zuñiga, who was the head of the Army until Tuesday before being dismissed, told reporters that there was a “mobilization of all military units” due to “the situation in the country.”
Several tanks and heavily armed soldiers took over the square in front of the Bolivian government headquarters on Wednesday, after the general commander of the army, Juan José Zuñiga, threatened to take over the building.
In light of the latest developments, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, said that he “strongly condemned” what was happening in the South American country.
“The Army must submit to the legitimately elected civil power. We send our solidarity to the President of Bolivia Luis Arce Catacora, his government and all the Bolivian people,” said Almagro.
“The international community, the OAS and the General Secretariat will not tolerate any breach of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia or anywhere else,” he added.