Former Bolivian president Evo Morales began a hunger strike until the authorities negotiate. This was announced on the social network X.
Morales asked his supporters blocking several roads to pause and the government to withdraw the military and police to “avoid bloodshed.”
“We also request two negotiating tables to discuss economic and political issues,” — Morales wrote on social media after the press conference.
Supporters of the former Bolivian leader have been blocking roads in Cochabamba since October 14, demanding that the rape and human trafficking case against him be dropped. On November 1, security forces used bulldozers to demolish checkpoints in the village of Parotani. The military and police fired tear gas at the protesters, who threw stones at them.
In October, prosecutors in the department of Tarija issued an arrest warrant for Morales in connection with the 2015 rape of a 15-year-old girl who became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter at age 16. The former leader linked the investigation to an attempt to ban him from running for president in the 2025 elections.
president of bolivia Luis Arce stated that armed men associated with Morales took over three military units in the department of Cochabamba and accused them of “treason, insulting the constitution of the State, the armed forces and the Bolivian people themselves,” RBC clarifies.