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After a five-day mobilization from the Los Yungas area, thousands of coca growers set fire to the popular space in La Paz and clashed with the security forces. The producers demand a meeting with President Luis Arce and request the resignation of the person in charge of Rural Development and Lands.
A day of tension was expected on Thursday, September 8, in the nooks and crannies of La Paz after thousands of coca leaf producers arrived in the administrative capital after five days of walking from Los Yungas, in the north of the territory.
After traveling more than 100 kilometers, the coca growers caused incidents by setting fire to the ‘parallel market’ with gas and dynamite units that led to clashes with the security forces and left at least six injured.
The members of the Departmental Coca Association (Adepcoca) arrived in the Villa El Carmen neighborhood expressly to forcibly close the clandestine coca space that, they argue, is an attempt against the producers.
The president of Adepcoca, Freddy Machicado, told the EFE agency that they had given Thursday as the deadline for the authorities to close the “clandestine sale” place.
“They have not done it, that is why our partners have taken the initiative”, justified the leader.
The parallel coca leaf market, led by Arnold Alanes – a man close to the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the party that governs Bolivia – ended up destroyed after protesters knocked down the doors, seized coca crates and threw Molotov cocktails. and pieces of dynamite.
This action by the coca growers occurs as a result of not having received a convincing response from the Government to close the illegal sale, and they even accused the Arce Administration of “needing” the existence of the parallel market to “justify its production and promote drug trafficking.” in Bolivia”.
Bolivia: We condemn the violence that occurred today in the dispute between coca growers. We call for calm and dialogue. Violence is not the way.
The police must act, within the law, to preserve human rights and protect the work of the press.https://t.co/6lFI5AyBSC pic.twitter.com/LyXLnKBxTr
— Cesar Munoz (@_Cesar_Munoz) September 8, 2022
As the fire began to spread inside, people inside ran out and some were attacked by marchers. In return, the demonstrators denounced that they were attacked with homemade bombs and half a dozen of their members were injured.
The group of coca growers demands that, after the dialogue with the Minister of Rural Development and Lands -Reemy Gonzáles- did not prosper, a conclave be held with the Bolivian president, Luis Arce.
In addition, they announced that they will not agree to meet with any other official and ratified their request for Gonzáles’ dismissal.
“We are clear, we want the president to attend to us. We are not going to dialogue with any incompetent minister”, ratified the president of the Adepcoca Self-Defense Force of La Paz, César Apaza.
The coca growers have issued a series of petitions to the government, especially the “promulgation of a supreme decree that recognizes the one that lies in Los Yungas as the only legal market.”
They also requested that the “persecution” of the Adepcoca leaders end, the departure of some officials and the opening of criminal proceedings against Alanes.
Alanes was elected president of Adepcoca in 2021 despite the fact that a large number of affiliates did not agree. After a month of fighting, he was forced to leave his position in the union.
International organizations such as Human Rights Watch, repudiated the violent and criminal acts. “We call for calm and dialogue. Violence is not the way. The police must act, within the law, to preserve human rights and protect the work of the press,” wrote the main investigator in Bolivia, César Muñoz, on his Twitter account.
For its part, the Ombudsman’s Office supported the request for dialogue and criticized the “excesses” perpetrated by the protesters and the police.
with EFE
