Who is Juan Jose Zuniga, the Bolivian general arrested after military coup attempt?

Bolivian President Luis Arce faced down a coup attempt on Wednesday (26 June), which saw heavily armed troops fill the main plaza in La Paz and an armoured vehicle breach the government palace before withdrawing.

Bolivian authorities arrested rebel military leader in charge General Juan Jose Zuniga and Reuters has reported that the public prosecutor’s office will launch a criminal investigation against him and other participants for the attempted coup. News agency AP further reported that Arce had also ordered the arrest of Navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador.

What exactly happened? Who are the main characters in this coup attempt? We take a closer look and get you the answers.

What happened in Wednesday’s uprising?

On Wednesday afternoon, dramatic events unfolded in the Bolivian capital when troops seized control of Murillo Square in La Paz which houses government buildings.

Videos showed General Juan Jose Zuniga, who was fired this week as commander of the Bolivian Army, entering the Palacio Quemado and confronting Arce face-to-face. Zuniga said the “armed forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy and not one run by the same few people for 30, 40 years.”

The New York Times reports that he also called for the release of several politicians and members of the military who were currently behind bars. “Enough of rule by a few,” the general said. “Look where that has gotten us! Our children have no future, our people have no future, and the army has the balls to fight for our children’s tomorrow.”

The newspaper Los Tiempos reported that as Zuniga entered the palace and confronted Arce, the president instructed the general to stand his troops down: “I am your captain. Obey my orders.”

Shortly thereafter, soldiers and tanks pulled back from the square. The uprising lasted about five hours.

Later, Zuniga was captured and arrested, with footage showing Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera saying to Zuniga: “General, you are under arrest.”

Meanwhile, Arce standing on the balcony of the government palace said: “No one can take away the democracy we have won.” He also swore in new military leaders, firing Zuniga.

Just before he was arrested by Bolivian authorities, Zuniga claimed that it was Arce who had asked him to stage the coup attempt. Zuniga said: “The president told me the situation is really messed up, this week is going to be critical — so it’s necessary to prepare something that will raise my popularity.”

However, Bolivia’s justice minister has denied these claims. Ivan Lima said that Zuniga was lying and trying to justify his own actions, for which he will face justice. Lima also said that prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Zuniga, “for having attacked democracy and the Constitution.”

This isn’t Bolivia’s first brush with coup attempts . The country has had more than 190 coup attempts and revolutions since its 1825 independence.

Who is General Juan Jose Zuniga?

Zuniga, who has been arrested since the attempted coup, appeared to be heading the rebellion. He has been a controversial figure in Bolivian politics and is an opponent of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who still holds significant weight within the country’s political landscape. Current President Arce forms part of the same political party as Morales.

In the recent past, Zuniga has been quite vocal in his criticism of Morales, who plans to seek another term as president in 2025. According to El País, the Spanish newspaper, Zuniga said that Morales “could not be the president of this country again” and that he would not permit him to “trample on the constitution and disobey the public’s mandate.”

He’s also been accused of embezzlement during his long military career. He was charged with embezzling nearly 2.7 million bolivianos. According to El Deber, Zuniga didn’t do well academically. However, his cognitive skills and understanding of political dynamics helped him rise in the Bolivian armed forces.

Former president Evo Morales has also accused Zuniga of being the commander of the military organisation Pachajcho, allegedly plotting to eliminate him as part of a “black plan” against coca production leaders and political opponents.

Who is Bolivian President Luis Arce?

While Zuniga has been arrested, President Arce will have to see if this attempted coup is a one-off incident. As BBC reported, as of now the Arce government looks more vulnerable.

Arce, a former economist, is known for keeping a low profile and was at one time Morales’ protégé and crafted the economic plan for Morales’ successful 2005 presidential run. He was then appointed as economy minister in 2006 and is credited with steering the country’s economy for a decade. Arce’s supporters call him the architect of Bolivia’s growth “miracle” in the 2000s that lifted many in one of South America’s poorest nations out of poverty. Commodities including gas, metals and soybeans boomed.

In 2020, he won the presidential election, bringing political stability to the country. However, as president, he has struggled to manage a US dollar shortage that has strained the economy.

With inputs from agencies