Bolivia coup: Army chief arrested after rebellion as president urges people to take to the streets

A senior Bolivian general was arrested after armoured vehicles rammed the doors of the government palace in La Paz on Wednesay in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup.

Forces led by army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga appeared to take control of Mr Arce’s government as they vowed to “restore democracy” but the president vowed to hold firm and swiftly named a new military commander, who immediately ordered the troops to stand down.

The soldiers duly pulled back, along with a line of military vehicles, ending the rebellion after three chaotic hours , as hundreds of Mr Arce’s supporters rushed the square outside the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.

Government minister Eduardo del Castillo said former Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador was also taken into custody.

“What was this group’s goal? The goal was to overturn the democratically elected authority,” Mr del Castillo told journalists in announcing the arrests.

The apparent coup attempt came after the South American nation of 12m people faced months of tensions between Mr Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales , over control of the ruling party.

It also came amid a severe economic crisis.