Troops and armored vehicles disperse as Bolivia arrests army chief leading coup attempt

Bolivian forces have arrested the general accused of attempting a coup against the country’s government on Wednesday, crowning an hours-long overture by armed soldiers who stormed the national palace.

In breakneck developments over a handful of hours, video footage showed armored vehicles and troops led by army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga appearing to encircle the government seat of President Luis Arce, who called the demonstration an attempted putsch.

“The country is today facing an attempted coup d’etat,” Arce said, according to a CNBC translation. “We need the people of Bolivia to mobilize and organize against the coup and in favor of democracy.”

Top ministerial official Maria Nela Prada shared video footage of the Plaza de Murillo, the central square of the seat of government in La Paz, where she reported the presence of tanks and troops acting in an “irregular manner” as they controlled access to the site.

“We want to denounce this coup attempt, this rupture of constitutional order, and in this moment, of course, as we have always said, the people are alert — the Bolivian people are alert — and the organizations as well, to defend our democracy,” she said, according to a CNBC translation.

The president named three new army, navy and air commanders, with Jose Wilson Sanchez taking over as the country’s new military chief and urgently instructing the armed forces to stand down. Soldiers withdrew, making way for waves of Arce’s supporters, the Associated Press reported. Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo later told a press conference that the situation in the country’s armed forces was now under control, following the appointment of a new commander.

Video footage showed Zuniga swarmed by crowds and detained, after Bolivian Minister of Justice Ivan Lima labeled him a “traitor” and announced a penal investigation into the general.

Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo later confirmed the arrest of Zuniga and of former navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador.

During the movement, Zuniga — who was removed from his post on Tuesday after heavily criticizing former Bolivian President Evo Morales — had declared intentions to overhaul the country’s ministerial cabinet and invoked a patriotic duty to “recover” the nation.  

“Surely, soon there will be a new cabinet. The military units are in a ready/standby position. All of the units,” Zuniga said during the military movement, according to a CNBC translation. “There will be a new cabinet of ministers. But our country cannot continue like this, our state. As they [politicians] do whatever they feel like doing. We are showing our upset. Our upset is a duty, our obligation as soldiers of the homeland, of the armed forces, of the armies that this country gave birth to, which were forged to recover this country. We are going to take it.”

Asked whether the coup forces were seeking to take over the Bolivian presidential residence, the general confirmed “yes.”

The apparent coup is the latest blow to a country battling a steep economic crisis exacerbated by U.S. dollar shortages, high public debt and declining natural gas production, after the country cashed in on the commodities boom of 2014. The International Monetary Fund projects the country’s economy will expand by 1.6% this year.

The international community rallied to condemn the apparent coup attempt.

“The European Union condemns any attempt to undermine the constitutional order in #Bolivia and overthrow democratically elected governments, and expresses its solidarity with the Bolivian government and people,” said EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell on social media.

“Spain strongly condemns the military movements in Bolivia,” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media platform X, according to a CNBC translation. “We convey the government and people of Bolivia our support and solidarity and we call for respect for democracy and the rule of law.”

Fellow South American countries, from Venezuela to Paraguay, Cuba and Chile, also denounced the military action.

Arce embraced the international support: “We will defend democracy and the will of the Bolivian people, whatever the cost!” he said on social media, according to a CNBC translation. “We salute and thank the presidents of friendly countries and of international organizations that spoke in favor of Bolivian democracy, in the face of the intended coup attempt against our government legitimately elected by the majority of Bolivians.”