The arrest on Wednesday of the governor of the Santa Cruz region, Luis Fernando Camacho, one of the main opponents of the Bolivian government, sparked clashes between demonstrators and police. The governor is one of the main leaders of the Bolivian right.
He was apprehended in the city of Santa Cruz, on the orders of a prosecutor who accuses him of “terrorism” for an alleged “coup” against the leftist ex-president, Evo Morales, in November 2019, said the public prosecutor.
Since then, several neighborhoods of the most populous city in Bolivia have been blocked by protesters, who have used stones, vehicles and pieces of wood. Clashes with the police broke out, but no injuries have been reported so far.
Invested airports
Demonstrators also set fire to the offices of the local prosecutor, after others took over the two airports of Santa Cruz to try to prevent the transfer of the governor to the capital, La Paz.
Luis Fernando Camacho has defended himself several times for having fomented a coup d’etat and prefers to speak of a popular rebellion against Evo Morales (2006-2019), whom he accuses of having rigged the presidential elections in 2019 to stay in power.
Luis Fernando Camacho is the subject of several investigations, in particular for his role in the departure of Evo Morales and for having encouraged demonstrations between October and November.
Luis Fernando Camacho is one of the main leaders of the Bolivian right and leads the second political opposition force in Parliament, Creemos, behind the Citizen Community (CC) party of former centrist President Carlos Mesa.