Bolivian Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, reported this Thursday that the dismissed military chief Juan José Zúñiga, who led a group of soldiers to take over the headquarters of the Bolivian Executive, confessed that he could not “accomplish the objectives of the uprising” because their reinforcements “were slow to arrive.”
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The minister read to the media the interview that the police conducted with Zúñiga after his capture.
According to Prada, when Zúñiga was asked “why the objectives of the uprising were not achieved,” he admitted that “Viacha units took a while to arrive” and that “Navy and Air Force personnel were also unable to arrive.”
In the transcript of the statements that according to the minister were signed by Zúñiga, he added that “it was decided that the uprising would take place on Wednesday, June 26 at 11:00, since all the commanders of the military forces were there.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Zúñiga led a group of heavily armed soldiers and tanks that took over Plaza Murillo, in front of the headquarters of Luis Arce’s government, and, after knocking down the door of the building, the dismissed military chief told the press that was going to “change the government cabinet” and sought to “restore” democracy in Bolivia.
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Luis Arce and his cabinet remained at the headquarters of the Executive and, while Zúñigay and his military group maintained the pressure outside, changed the commanders of the three Bolivian Armed Forces.
Zúñigay and his followers retreated after the change of military command and, moments later, The dismissed military chief was captured at the headquarters of the General Staff. During his arrest, Zúñiga accused Arce of having ordered the military action as a strategy to “raise their popularity”
Prada added at the conference that “all Bolivians are called to defend our democracy, called to not use what has happened politically to see how to get credit for this” and He asked not to use the “coup attempt” for personal purposes.
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Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/ministra-de-presidencia-de-bolivia-estamos-llamados-a-defender-nuestra-democracia-cb20
