Bolivian general arrested after failed coup attempt

The Bolivian army’s general commander, Juan José Zúñiga, has been arrested following a failed coup attempt.

It comes after the Bolivian military occupied the square in front of the government palace in La Paz with armoured vehicles and tried to breach doors, live images on Bolivian television showed.

Zúñiga, who is believed to have led the attempt to storm the government palace, has been accused of terrorism and armed insurrection against the security and sovereignty of the state.

The public prosecutor’s office had previously issued an arrest warrant and launched investigations into Zúñiga and fellow putschists.

Left-wing President Luis Arce dismissed the top general, replacing the entire leadership of the armed forces.

The new army chiefs then ordered the withdrawal of troops from around the government palace in central La Paz.

As the putsch unfolded, with a tank ramming the doors of the seat of government, Zúñiga addressed the media, saying: “Enough of the impoverishment of our homeland.

“Enough of the humiliation of the military. We have come to express our displeasure.”

Speaking to media representatives, he spoke of “attacks on democracy” without elaborating.

The attempt to topple the left-wing government was met with immediate resistance from the country’s leadership.

“We denounce the irregular mobilisations by some units of the Bolivian Army,” President Luis Arce wrote on X as events were unfolding. “Democracy must be respected.”

Former Bolivian president Evo Morales also condemned the military’s actions on the Murillo square, calling them a “planned coup d’état” in a post on X.