Former Bolivian President Evo Morales charged that at 6:25 a.m. this morning, as he was traveling in a vehicle in the Chapare region of Cochabamba to participate in his weekly radio program, he was the victim of an assassination attempt, which he said was ordered by President Luis Arce. “Lucho,” he said, referring to Arce, “has gone crazy.” He claimed his car was attacked by heavily armed masked individuals who came from the nearby armed forces’ Ninth Division headquarters in Villa Tunari and were subsequently whisked away in a helicopter at the military base after striking his vehicle 14 times, trying to kill him and wounding his driver. Morales said he was able to escape by moving to a different vehicle accompanying his.
Attempts to clarify details of the attack are still ongoing, made more difficult by the extreme volatility and polarization in the country. Bolivia has been in a state of convulsion for 14 days as Morales’s followers have blockaded major highways and prevented transport of food, fuel and medicine to major cities as a means of protesting Arce’s economic policies. This is what Morales claims is his program to “save Bolivia,” but his actions are causing major economic hardship and dislocation around the country.
The alleged assassination attempt also occurred just a few days after President Arce attended the Oct. 22-24 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia where he had an excellent meeting with President Vladimir Putin, and Bolivia became one of 13 new BRICS partner states, creating opportunities for new cooperative trade and economic relationships with other members, joining the BRICS New Development Bank, etc. It would hardly be to Arce’s advantage to be involved in an assassination plot against Morales. But the question arises, cui bono? Were Morales assassinated, the country would erupt in violence, because of the former President’s large base of support among the peasantry and coca growers—the same people now engaged in the blockades. This could have serious implications for regional stability, especially in Brazil and Peru.
