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Bolivia: coup attempt collapses, top general arrested
In an apparent coup attempt against Bolivia’s President Luis Arce, military vehicles surrounded the presidential palace in La Paz—with one ramming open the building’s front doors. Arce took to Twitter to denounce the “irregular mobilization of some units of the Bolivian Army,” and called for democracy to be respected. As La Paz residents converged on Plaza Murillo to confront the troops outside the palace, Arce officially dismissed armed forces commander Gen. Juan JosĂ© Zúñiga, replacing him with Gen. JosĂ© Sánchez—who promptly issued orders for all troops to return to barracks. This caused the occupying troops to retreat from the plaza. Shortly thereafter, Zúñiga was arrested. Upon being taken into custody, Zúñiga told reporters that the apparent coup attempt had been requested by Arce himself to “rehabilitate his popularity.” This theory has been aggressively taken up by Bolivia’s opposition, but crowds continue to show up in Plaza Murillo in huge numbers to support Arce’s government. (Photo via Twitter)