He The Bolivian government announced on Thursday the arrest of 17 people, including active and retired military personnel and several civilians, for his alleged connection with the failed coup against the leftist president Luis Arce.
“A total of 17 people have been arrested for attempting to carry out a coup d’état,” said Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo at a press conference.
Military personnel try to enter the headquarters of the Government of Bolivia.
Photo:EFE
Until Wednesday, General Juan José Zúñiga and Vice Admiral Juan Arnez, former commanders of the Army and Navy, had been arrested. respectively, accused of leading the coup attempt.
On Thursday, the government presented the other 15 captured men with handcuffs, bulletproof vests and guarded by police officers.
“This would have been planned since last May,” the minister said, adding that three other suspects are being sought.
According to del Castillo, the plan to overthrow Arce “was led” by Zúñiga and Arnez.
Both officers were charged with armed uprising and terrorism, crimes for which they face a sentence of up to 20 years. according to the prosecution.
Soldiers took over Plaza Murillo in La Paz.
Photo:EPA
The hours of panic that Bolivia experienced during the coup attempt
At the beginning of the afternoon of this Wednesday, June 26, concern was widespread in Bolivia when The arrival of the first uniformed Army personnel to the political center of Bolivia was reported. Within minutes, the military began giving orders for people to leave the place.
The situation worsened when President Luis Arce published a message on his social networks in which he warned about unauthorized actions by the Army near the Government headquarters.
Shortly afterwards, a larger number of soldiers descended from some military trucks and were stationed in the four corners of the square, prohibiting the movement of civilians, except for a few journalists.
Bounded vehicles took over Plaza Murillo in La Paz.
Photo:EPA
The tanks were deployed up to two blocks around, one even stationed itself in front of the new Parliament building, which was closed. and with some officials asking the people inside to evacuate the place.
All the soldiers carried weapons, ammunition and anti-riot equipment such as tear gas, as well as a hostile attitude.
A tank made a couple of maneuvers and He knocked down the gate of the Government Palace, while officials and sectors defending President Luis Arce began to gather on the edges of the square.
A few hours later, the military began to withdraw from the square when President Arce changed the military leadership. to confront the coup attempt and the new Army commander ordered the soldiers to return to their units.
Who tried to carry out the coup d’état in Bolivia?
The coup was led by Juan José Zúñiga Macías, known as “the people’s general”, due to his closeness to the mining and social sectors in Bolivia. and who threatened former president Evo Morales a few days ago.
The now dismissed head of the Bolivian Army was promoted by Arce himself as commander general in 2022 and was ratified in the position in January of this year. Zúñiga was also chief of the General Staff and worked for several years in military intelligence work.
In 2013, Zuñiga was accused of diverting public funds when he was in command of an infantry regiment. A non-commissioned officer under his command was the one who reported the diversion of some 2.7 million bolivianos (about $400,000), money that was intended to finance pensions and bonuses for soldiers and schoolchildren. He was punished with seven days of arrest in a military trial.
The dismissed military chief of the Bolivian Army, Juan José Zúñiga (i), is escorted for his presentation at the offices of the Special Force to Fight Crime.
Photo:EFE
The former president of Bolivia and leader of the ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS), Evo Morales, had already accused Zuñiga in 2022 of “persecuting” him.
Morales said in 2022 that the dismissed military chief was part of an Army group that maintained a “permanent persecution” against him.
Zúñiga confessed that he was unable to achieve the objectives of the uprising because his reinforcements took a long time to arrive.
This Monday, Juan José Zúñiga threatened the former president in statements to a Bolivian media outlet, in which he said that “legally Evo Morales is disqualified,” referring to the presidential aspirations of the MAS leader.
“The Army and the Armed Forces have the mission of enforcing and enforcing the Constitution. This man (Morales) cannot become president of the country again,” he reiterated.
This Thursday, the Minister of the Presidency of Bolivia, María Nela Prada, said that the dismissed military chief Zúñiga confessed that he could not “achieve the objectives of the uprising” because his reinforcements “took time to arrive.”
The minister read to the media the interview that the Police conducted with Zúñiga after his capture. According to Prada, when Zuñiga was asked “why the objectives of the uprising were not achieved,” he admitted that “the Viacha units took a while to arrive” and that “the Navy and Air Force personnel were also unable to arrive.”
In the transcript of the statements that according to the minister were signed by Zúñiga, he added that “it was decided that the uprising would take place on Wednesday, June 26 at 11:00, since all the commanders of the military forces were present.” .
