By Alexandra Nyoni
On Wednesday, 26 June, Bolivian President Luis Arce thwarted a coup attempt by military General Juan Jose Zuniga. General Zuniga and his supporters used eight army tanks to storm the presidential palace in the capital city of La Paz. The fight lasted five hours before General Zuniga and his men were arrested. The coup attempt was the 35th in Bolivia’s history, making it second on the list of countries with the most attempted coups, after Chile with 36. General Zuniga claimed that Mr Arce’s government was “impoverishing the nation” as his administration has struggled to contain a failing economy and US dollar shortage. He added that the coup would “restore democracy and free our political prisoners… It would make democracy true, not one in which the country is governed by the same few people for decades.” Mr Zuniga and his men have been apprehended and face pre-trial detention of six months, pending further investigation.
Bolivia has long been a country in political and economic turmoil. Mr Arce is from the left-wing Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, which has recently split into two factions, one led by Mr Arce and the other by former president and Mr Arce’s former mentor, Evo Morales. Mr Morales has accused Mr Arce of orchestrating the coup attempt himself in order to gain sympathy and approval from the population of 12 million, as his approval ratings have begun to dwindle. The MAS has ruled Bolivia since 2005, and soon thereafter the economy began to improve, lifting many people out of poverty. However, the pandemic hit the economy hard, and the country is once again facing extreme levels of poverty, especially within the indigenous communities, which make up approximately 40% of the population.
Just over 91% of Bolivia’s population is Christian, according to the Joshua Project, with 72.6% identifying as Catholic and 19.3% as Evangelical. While there is a significant majority of Christian-identifying individuals, many have combined Christian beliefs with traditional religious practices, most originating from indigenous histories, making it difficult to know the number of people who are truly following Jesus. Bolivia’s turbulent past, along with its location between some of the world’s largest drug-producing nations, has left it in a state of social upheaval. Fatherlessness, witchcraft, and drug abuse are common, often causing the breakdown of family structures. These societal issues often perpetuate the cycle of poverty, and the Church is not excluded from these hardships. While facing difficult circumstances themselves, believers in Bolivia are in a position to offer hope and true freedom through the Gospel of Christ. As followers of Jesus, Christians bring light wherever they go. Despite the ‘darkness’ that appears in Bolivian society, we can be encouraged that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
Please join us in praying for the following:
- For a peaceful resolution to the political turmoil and for wisdom for Bolivia’s leaders
- For the Church to be a light in the darkness that Bolivia is experiencing
- For believers to be steadfast in their faith and for each one to take the opportunity to share the true freedom found in Christ with others
