Bolivia’s government accuses Morales supporters of taking 200 soldiers hostage

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"111265417"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"2">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><p>Supporters of former president Evo Morales in Bolivia have taken more than 200 soldiers hostage&comma; the country’s government said&comma; as unrest prompted by an abuse investigation of the ex-leader continued for a third week&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Bolivia’s foreign ministry in a statement identified those involved in the hostage taking as members of &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;irregular groups” and accused them of also stealing weapons and ammunition&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It did not identify the groups&comma; nor did it explain how the soldiers were taken hostage&period; But a day earlier&comma; President Luis Arce said those protesting and attacking military units were supporters of Mr Morales&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Arce characterised the seizing of three military barracks in a coca-growing area in central Bolivia as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the indigenous peasant movement”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The conflict broke out three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Mr Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016&comma; classifying their relationship as statutory rape&period; Mr Morales has refused to testify in court&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Morales has been in the rural area of Chapare&comma; in central Bolivia&comma; since reports of a possible warrant for his arrest emerged&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;184759" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-184759" style&equals;"width&colon; 640px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignnone"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;londonglossy&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;11&sol;IMG&lowbar;6774&period;webp" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"640" height&equals;"427" class&equals;"size-full wp-image-184759" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-184759" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Evo Morales walking in the Chapare region of Bolivia on Sunday<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Loyalist coca growers have kept watch to prevent his arrest&comma; and supporters have threatened to take over police and military barracks&comma; demanding the closure of the judicial cases against the former president&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Foreign Ministry in its statement on Saturday said it is open to dialogue with &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;all social sectors of the country” but warned that the process &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;cannot be established while the Bolivian people continue to be victims of abuse by these groups who are not interested in the national and popular economy&comma; and who only seek to materialise the personal and electoral interests of a former president”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Last week&comma; 30 police officers were injured and more than 50 protesters were arrested after a standoff between security forces and supporters of Mr Morales&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Arce and Mr Morales are in a fierce battle for control of the ruling party&comma; which remains divided between their supporters ahead of the 2025 elections&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Morales said on Sunday that he would press on with a hunger strike until the government of his protege-turned-rival agreed to a political dialogue&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is a bid to defuse the protests that have paralysed the Andean nation over what Mr Morales’ supporters call his political persecution&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Morales spoke from Chapare&comma; which serves as his political stronghold&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;My fight is to improve the situation in the country and to start a dialogue without conditions on two fronts&comma; one economic and one political&comma;” Mr Morales told The Associated Press from the office of the coca growers’ federation that he has long led&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He said he began his hunger strike on Friday in hopes of &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;international organisations or friendly governments” facilitating his outreach to Mr Arce&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div style&equals;"padding-bottom&colon;15px&semi;" class&equals;"wordads-tag" data-slot-type&equals;"belowpost">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div id&equals;"atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed2e861976d">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<script type&equals;"text&sol;javascript">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &equals; function &lpar;&rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; false &equals;&equals;&equals; &lpar; window&period;isWatlV1 &quest;&quest; false &rpar; &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&sol;&sol; Use Aditude scripts&period;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings &equals; 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