Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales is under investigation for an alleged armed uprising against the state, terrorism, and attacks on transport safety, according to the Santa Cruz district prosecutor’s office. A court in Bolivia has issued an arrest warrant for Morales amid these charges.

The complaint was initially filed by the civic group Comit pro Santa Cruz and later adopted by the Interior Ministry. It alleges that Morales’s supporters caused shortages of food, fuel, and medicine by blocking transport routes across the country for 53 days.

Morales, who was in office from 2006 until his ouster in 2019 following disputed elections, has responded defiantly to the charges. He stated on social media platform X, “They will not intimidate us.” He further accused the government of pursuing him to hide Bolivia’s deep economic and social crisis, describing it as a model that has abandoned the people and protects corruption.

Morales had gone into exile in Mexico and Argentina after his resignation but returned to Bolivia a year later following the election victory of his political ally, President Luis Arce.

Morales also expressed his commitment to continue fighting alongside the Bolivian people for a future marked by dignity, sovereignty, social justice, and hope.

The charges come in the wake of protests in June by farmers and truckers opposing the economic crisis, rising living costs, and austerity plans implemented by conservative President Rodrigo Paz.

Sources