Bolivia coup – latest: Army chief arrested after rebellion as president urges
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A senior Bolivian general has been arrested after armoured vehicles rammed the doors of the government palace in what the president called a coup attempt.
Forces led by army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga seemed to take control of the government of president Luis Arce as they vowed to “restore democracy”, but he pledged to stand firm and named a new army commander who immediately ordered the troops to stand down.
The soldiers soon pulled back, along with a line of military vehicles, ending the rebellion after three hours, and hundreds of Mr Arce’s supporters rushed the square outside the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.
Government minister Eduardo del Castillo said former navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador was also taken into custody.
“What was this group’s goal? The goal was to overturn the democratically elected authority,” Mr del Castillo told journalists in announcing the arrests.
The apparent coup attempt came after the nation of 12 million people faced months of tensions between Mr Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party. It also came amid a severe economic crisis.
We have some photos of the pro-government protesters
Below we have some photos showing pro-goverment protesters celebrating outside the palace where a military group tried to stage a coup on Wednesday.
Tom Watling27 June 2024 12:00
Bolivian president appears at government palace after failed coup
Tom Watling27 June 2024 11:30
Kremlin says it hopes calm can be restored in Bolivia after attempted coup
The Kremlin has said it hoped calm would be restored in Bolivia in the wake of an attempted coup, after the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the plotters and expressed Moscow’s support for the government of President Luis Arce.
Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after Arce slammed a “coup” attempt against the government and called for international support.
“This is an internal Bolivian affair. It is very important that our Bolivian friends deal with their own problems within the framework of constitutional legality,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We wish that country a speedy return to calm, and we hope that this will be the case. Of course, it is very important that there was no interference by third countries in what happened in Bolivia.”
