October 17, 2024, 10:56 PM
October 17, 2024, 10:56 PM
The government reported prepared by police forces from the departments of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba to advance towards the blocking points and clear the tracks. The Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, did not provide details about the operation nor did he say when it would occur.
“We want to inform you that A police contingent has advanced from Santa Cruz and another contingent has advanced from Cochabamba to be able to guarantee free transit in the department of Cochabamba,” said the minister when communicating the operation.
The coca farmers led by Evo Morales They started a road blockade on Monday, October 14 and they started with two points. On the fourth day, these actions reached 13 blockade points with clashes between the Police and the blockades that led – on the first day – to the arrest of at least 13 coca farmers who were released the next day.
The Minister of the Presidency María Nela Prada formally invited Evo Morales to a dialogue to discuss economic issues. In his invitation he did not mention the points that are required by the evistas, which is basically the annulment of the process that is being heard in Tarija regarding the alleged crime of statutory rape that Evo Morales would have committed against a minor under 15 years of age in 2015.
Evo Morales himself came forward to point out that he is not at the head of the mobilizations and that he is the so-called general staff of the people which directs the entire blockadeTherefore, he asked that the invitation to dialogue be addressed to that group of people and not to him specifically.
Senator Leonardo Loza was clear when stating that the blocking points would be suspended immediately if the government also applied the same rule to suspend the trial taking place in Tarija and in other departments. He recalled that there are eight processes against Evo Morales that were activated after the march led by the former president himself between September 17 and 23.
This Thursday the number of blockades grew to 10 The peasants began to blockade beyond the department of Cochabamba and reached Santa Cruz. A blockade was also activated in the department of Oruro, although they assure that this is basically due to a labor issue and not precisely because of peasants who are related to Evo Morales.
“Thanks to the new commanders, both from the department of Santa Cruz and the department of Tarija There is no longer any blocking point, these steps have been enabled in the last hours” reported the minister.
