Former Bolivian president calls for prosecution of ministers amid assassination attempt accussations

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has urged President Luis Arce to prosecute two ministers following an armed attack against him on Sunday morning.

"If Luis Arce did not give the orders to kill us, he must immediately dismiss and prosecute his defense and government ministers, Edmundo Novillo and Eduardo Del Castillo," Morales wrote on his X account on Monday.

The attack occurred amid a 15-day roadblock organized by Morales' supporters, who are protesting a potential arrest warrant related to an investigation into human trafficking and rape. The accusation alleges that Morales fathered a child with a minor in 2016, and that he used political influence to conceal the situation. Morales denies the allegations.

According to the leader of the official Movement to Socialism (MAS), while he was on his way to a radio station in Cochabamba, two vehicles intercepted his car, and “four hooded assailants” opened fire. He reported that his vehicle sustained 14 bullet holes, and his driver was injured in the head and hand. He shared a video on Facebook showing the driver's bloodied head and the damage to the car’s windshield.

Bolivian Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo on Monday accused Morales of shooting several police officers with a firearm when they were carrying out a routine anti-drug vehicle check on the Cochabamba Tropic highway on Sunday.

Del Castillo said Morales' driver refused to stop when ordered by the officers and increased his speed and claimed that the videos of the alleged attack against Morales “are edited” and that “no one believes him anymore.”

“No one and nothing will save him from this criminal process, no one who attacks a police officer can continue with impunity," the minister said.

Morales has accused Arce of attempting to kill him to prevent his candidacy in the 2025 presidential elections.

“The organized deception of the government and its paid media are trying to obscure the truth about the criminal attack we suffered on Sunday,” Morales asserted.

He also directly accused the military and police of conspiring against him. In response, the Armed Forces issued a statement categorically denying the allegations related to the attack on Morales.

Arce has ordered an investigation into the incident.

"The exercise of any violent practice in politics must be condemned and clarified. It is not with the search for the dead that problems are solved or with biased speculation," Arce said.

On Sunday, Morales' supporters took over the local airport in Chimore and intensified roadblocks, which have led to food and fuel shortages amid the country’s ongoing economic crisis.