July 21, 2024, 4:00 AM
July 21, 2024, 4:00 AM
Four weeks after the military assault, described by the government as a “failed coup attempt,” doubts persist about the events of that day. From outside the Casa Grande, they see that it was rather a “military action and adventure” driven by the “anger” of General Juan José Zúñiga against President Luis Arce for his “disloyalty” towards him.
But the Executive Branch uses all its tactics to support that what happened on June 26 in Plaza Murillo was indeed an “attempted coup.” In this context, the Minister of Government, Eduardo Del Castillo, his deputy ministers and the Police Commander, They gave their testimonies to journalists They talked about what they felt during those almost three hours of tension, their fears and anger, amidst the need to also take care of their loved ones and keep them safe.
Meanwhile, people in other parts of the country see the fact as something distant and alien to their reality, and even makes parodies of the military assault, Because of technology and live broadcasts on social media, they followed the events of the afternoon and evening of June 26 in detail.
Informal chat and testimonies
The working breakfast that Minister Del Castillo invited to the journalists who covered the military assault on June 26 was the setting in which the head of Government, the Vice Ministers of Citizen Security, Roberto Ríos, and of Internal Affairs, Jhonny Aguilera, in addition to the General Commander of the Police, José Álvarez Griffiths, left aside their role as State officials and They told how they lived those hours and to what extent what was happening in Plaza Murillo affected their families.
“The idea is to tell the human side, what one felt, what one experienced. I confess to you when everything happens, I get home, my wife tells me: ‘you didn’t call me, I didn’t know what to do, we were scared’. The only thing I did at that moment (of the assault) was to call my aide-de-camp and tell him to come to my house in case we had to make some decisions with them, with my daughters (…) we suggested the same to the President (Luis Arce) when we spoke with him,” said Minister Del Castillo.
General Álvarez said that during those hours he had no contact with his wife and that it seemed strange to him because they always communicate by phone. “Around 18:00, 18:30, my aide who was on break called me and said: ‘My General, don’t worry, I have evacuated your family, they are not at home,’” Álvarez said, adding that they did not even tell him where they had taken his family.. “I had a feeling that was difficult to explain. Was there fear? Yes, there was fear, uncertainty.one did not know what was going to happen and above all the concern was for the family,” said Álvarez.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister Ríos said that he learned of the military incursion when he was returning to La Paz de Caranavi. When put into context, he said that he contacted his father to ask him to take his mother and children into safekeeping.
“I spoke to my father and he told me: ‘son, your mother doesn’t want to go out’. As you know, that day the markets and stores were packed, and since my mother has a small neighborhood store, she was selling and she told me: ‘son, I’m having good sales’, she was only thinking about her sales,” said Ríos, who had already reached “kilometer zero.”
After President Arce swore in the new High Military Command and the Army Commander ordered the troops to retreat to their barracks, Ríos and Aguilera were seen in Plaza Murillo shouting and using harsh adjectives at the soldiers.I was very scared but also with heated spirits. Because one feels the betrayal (of Zúñiga), that disloyalty (…) I was so euphoric, so excited, I never went out before the media in that way.”
The other look
Four weeks after the incident, Comunidad Ciudadana sees that there are more doubts than certainties and that what the Government did most “is to politically capitalize” on the incident to “victimize” Arce and make him appear “as the great champion of democracy.” They see that The human rights of detainees are once again being violated.
“From the evidence, it is clear that the public does not believe the story of a coup. There are many elements to investigate about what happened on June 26, but there was no coup at all. as Arce wants to make it seem. The Government’s actions show that they are desperate to shore up its official narrative,” said Congressman Enrique Urquidi to EL DEBER.
Meanwhile, a folkloric parade in the town of Coripata on July 15 was the stage for a large group of people to reenact the military assault of June 26. In the parody, people dressed up as soldiers, even adapting a vehicle as a tank, and emulated President Arce and his ministers, including those of the Presidency and Government, among others, reciting into microphones the phrases said by the protagonists. The performance was greeted with laughter from the audience.
For the lawyer and former military man, Omar Durán, who is also the defense attorney for retired general José Ágreda, the events of June 26 are far from being a coup d’état. “I believe that it was a coup d’état.”It was an act of indiscipline to put pressure on the president (Arce) to stay in his position (Zúñiga) and since he did not achieve that, perhaps they wanted to take command of the country, but without having the necessary means of active personnel loyal to them (the commanders), it was a failed act and a sign of indiscipline by a group of high-ranking military officers. A coup has other characteristics,” he said.
