The commander-in-chief of the Bolivian army, General Juan Jose Zuniga, who tried to carry out a coup d’état in Bolivia against the government of President Luis Arce, was arrested at the request of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the Bolivian media, Zuniga is accused of leading the coup attempt.
He was arrested after he left the headquarters of the General Staff, and was then taken to the Prosecutor’s Office in a police vehicle.
The Attorney General’s Office announced that a comprehensive investigation has been launched into the allegations of the coup attempt and the events that followed.
Bolivian President Arsa stated that some military units are irregularly mobilized in the country and asked the military to respect democracy.
Footage on social media showed a military armored vehicle trying to break into the government palace in the capital, La Paz.
Arse spoke directly to Zuniga, who was trying to break into the government palace, and demanded an immediate troop withdrawal.
In his address to the nation, the Bolivian president called on the public to remain calm.
“The president and ministers of Bolivia are on duty and I call on the people to protect democracy. The soldiers should immediately withdraw and return to their duties. I want them to respect democracy and the Constitution,” said Arse.
At Arse’s call, thousands of people took to the squares and protested the attempted military coup.
On the orders of the newly appointed commander of the Bolivian army, José Wilson Sánchez, the soldiers who attempted the coup returned to the barracks, AA writes.
E.Dz.
