Morales Supporters Storm Bolivia Barracks, Take 'around 20' Hostages

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 02, 2024 | 01:10 AM

La Paz, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2024) Supporters of Bolivia's ex-president Evo Morales stormed a barracks in central Chapare province and took around 20 soldiers hostage, military sources said Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in their standoff with the state.

In a statement, the armed forces said that "irregular armed groups" had "kidnapped military personnel" and seized weapons and ammunition.

A defense source told AFP on condition of anonymity that "about 20" soldiers were taken hostage.

In a video broadcast by Bolivian media, 16 soldiers are seen surrounded by protesters holding pointed sticks aloft.

"The Cacique Maraza Regiment has been taken over by Tipnis activists. They have cut off our water, electricity and are keeping us hostage," a uniformed man is heard saying in the video.

Tipnis is an Indigenous area in Chapare that is loyal to Morales, the country's 2006-2019 president.

The hostage situation comes nearly three weeks after Morales's supporters began blocking roads in the center of the country to prevent his arrest on what he calls trumped-up rape charges aimed at thwarting his political comeback.

On Wednesday, his former-ally-turned-rival President Luis Arce demanded an "immediate" end to the roadblocks and said the government would "exercise its constitutional powers to safeguard the interests of the Bolivian people" if the protesters did not comply.

His warning was interpreted by some Bolivians as a threat to use the military to end the blockade, which has caused widespread food and fuel shortages and prompted prices of basic goods to skyrocket.