Terrorism in Bolivia

Terrorism in Bolivia has occurred since the 1960s and continues sporadically until the present. A number of bombings targeted public places, such as bank branches,ATM's, commercial institutions and interests generally leaving material damage.[1][2]

Terrorism by context

Ñancahuazu insurgency

Further information: Ñancahuazú Guerrilla

Ejército de Liberación Nacional de Bolivia (National Liberation Army of Bolivia; ELN) was a group of mainly Bolivian and Cuban guerrillas led by the guerrilla leader Che Guevara which was active in the Cordillera Province of Bolivia from 1966 to 1967. The group established its base camp on a farm across the Ñancahuazú river, a seasonal tributary of the Rio Grande, 250 kilometers southwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The guerrilla was intended to work as a foco, a point of armed resistance to be used as a first step to overthrow the Bolivian government and create a socialist state. The guerrillas defeated several Bolivian patrols before they were beaten and Guevara was captured and executed. Only five guerrillas managed to survive and flee to Chile.

Later that morning on October 9, Bolivian President René Barrientos ordered that Guevara be killed. The order was relayed by Félix Rodríguez to the Bolivian army unit holding Guevara, reportedly despite the US government's desire that Guevara be taken to Panama for further interrogation.[3] The executioner was Mario Terán, a sergeant in the Bolivian army who had requested to shoot Che on the basis of the fact that three of his friends from B Company, all named "Mario", had been killed in an earlier firefight with Guevara's band of guerrillas.[4]

21st Century incidents

In 13 may of 2005 an "cachorro" in front of the Petrobras offices in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Subsequently, different media received a video in which a Frente Nacional Anti-Corruption claims the action, in a video statement which claim a letter to Carlos Mesa and demanding 15 days for the Government to nationalize hydrocarbons and confiscate all the assets of former President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.[5][6][7]

On 10 February 2018, an explosion occurred in the afternoon of the Bolivian city of Oruro during the traditional carnival of the city.[8] Three days later in a street food stand, 8 people were killed by an explosion near the main street of Oruro. At first it was thought that it was the explosion of a gas canister due to mishandling, but not finding fragments of the alleged canister or a gas leak that caused it, the government has discarded this theory.[9] It also left more than fifty people were injured. The culprit of both explosions is unknown, but there have been several detainees. Three suspects who were in the explosion site of the second explosion were arrested the following day.

Another suspect of the first explosion continues apprehended since 27 March 2018.[10] In addition, a third explosion was thwarted by the Bolivian police on 17 February 2018. A small explosive, a dynamite 5 cm (2 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, was placed in the bathroom of an establishment of the city.[11] The 2018 Oruro attacks were considered the worst attack against civilians in the 21th century.[12][13]

References

1. "Foreign travel advice Bolivia". Government of United Kingdom. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
2. "BOLIVIA: POTENTIAL FOR TERRORIST AND INSURGENT VIOLENCE" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 2020-05-14.
3. Grant 2007
4. O'Donnell, Pacho (October 8, 2012). "Opiniones de Perón sobre el Che". Pagina 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved September 28, 2015.
5. "Supuestos terroristas generan temor en Santa Cruz y en el Gobierno". Noticias Fides (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-14.
6. "Carta al presidente Carlos Mesa". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-14.
7. "Cachorro de dinamita explota en sede de Petrobrás". Bolivia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-14.
8. "Incertidumbre en Oruro; expertos en explosivos buscan esclarecer la tragedia". Los Tiempos. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
9. Justiniano, Jorge S. (21 February 2018). "Atentados en Oruro, otra lección que aprender". El Deber (in Spanish).
10. "Acusado de explosiones en Oruro negó ayuda a su pareja en la tragedia". opinión.com.bo (in Spanish). 28 March 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
11. "Frustran un tercer atentado tras las dos mortales explosiones en Bolivia en una semana". RT en Español (in Spanish). 18 February 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
12. "Segunda explosión en Oruro fue un atentado, dicen las autoridades de Bolivia". CNN en Español. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
13. "Incertidumbre en Oruro; expertos en explosivos buscan esclarecer la tragedia". Los Tiempo. Retrieved 2020-05-29.