Bolivian President Luis Arce announced three new heads of the South American country's armed forces following an attempted coup in which military units used armored vehicles to crash into the gates of Bolivia's government palace.
The news of the new army, navy and air force chiefs came amid roars from their supporters.
“The country faces an attempted coup d'état. Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any attempted coup d'état. We need the Bolivian people to organize,” Arce said in a video message.
Video footage showed troops setting up blockades in front of the government palace. Arce said that the troops who rose up against him were “staining the uniform” of the military.
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Bolivian President Luis Arce. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
“I order all those mobilized to return to their units,” said the newly appointed army chief, José Wilson Sánchez. “No one wants the images we are seeing on the streets.”
Shortly afterward, troops began to withdraw from the presidential palace.
Arce confronted Army General Juan José Zúñiga in the palace hallway, recently stripped of his military command and who appeared to be leading the rebellion, according to a Bolivian television video.
“I am your captain and I order you to withdraw your soldiers and I will not allow this insubordination,” he said.
In X, Arce asked that “democracy be respected.”
The United States said it was closely monitoring the situation and urged calm and restraint.
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LA PAZ, BOLIVIA – JUNE 26: Military Police walk amid tear gas outside the presidential palace in Plaza Murillo on June 26, 2024, in La Paz, Bolivia. The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, warned about irregular movements of military troops and raises the alert of a possible coup d'état. (Photo by Gastón Brito Miserocchi/Getty Image)
Bolivia, a country of 12 million people, has witnessed an intensification of protests in recent months over the precipitous decline of its economy, from two decades ago one of the fastest growing on the continent to one of the weakest. affected by the crisis.
The country has also seen a high-profile rift at the highest levels of the ruling party. Arce and his former ally, leftist icon and former President Morales, have been fighting for the future of Bolivia's fragmented Movement towards Socialism, known by its Spanish acronym MAS, ahead of the 2025 elections.
The leadership of the largest union in Bolivia condemned the action and declared an indefinite strike of social and labor organizations in La Paz in defense of the government.
The incident was met with a wave of outrage from other regional leaders, including the Organization of American States; Gabriel Boric, president of neighboring Chile; the leader of Honduras, and former Bolivian leaders.
June 26, 2024, Bolivia, La Paz: Supporters of Bolivian President Arce demonstrate in support of democracy near the government palace during a coup attempt. (Photo by Radoslaw Czajkowski/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The most recent coup attempt on the continent came in December 2022, when Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was arrested on the same day he attempted to dissolve Congress, declare a state of emergency, and rewrite the constitution. He was eventually impeached and removed from office.
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“Brazil's position is clear. I am a lover of democracy and I want it to prevail throughout Latin America. We condemn any form of coup d'état in Bolivia and reaffirm our commitment to the people and democracy of our brother country,” said the Brazilian president. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote in X.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
