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Bolivian forces kill 3 in operation to lift blockade on fuel site

Wednesday, 20 November 2019 9:25 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 November 2019 9:31 AM ]

An army helicopter flies over the road leading to the Senkata filling gas plant in El Alto, Bolivia, on November 19, 2019. (Photo by AP)

At least three people were killed and many others injured when the Bolivian military and police launched an operation on Tuesday against the supporters of former president Evo Morales, who had blockaded a major fuel plant near the capital.

Security forces, using armored vehicles and military helicopters, launched the operation at the Senkata filling gas plant, in the city of El Alto, near the capital, La Paz, on Tuesday.

They finally managed to escort a convoy of about 50 fuel tankers through the restive region to replenish supplies in the capital.

The convoy included gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers.

Bolivian police escort fuel tanks on the way to deliver supplies from El Alto to La Paz, Bolivia, on November 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

The operation left three people dead and 30 others wounded, according to the public ombudsman’s office.

The military said in a statement that the operation to move the fuel from the city to the nearby capital of La Paz had been “peaceful.”

It said that “agitators and vandals” had attacked and partially destroyed the Senkata fuel plant in El Alto, “using high-powered explosives.”

Defense Minister Fernando Lopez claimed later that troops had not used firearms in the operation.

Morales’ supporters started the siege on the gas plant by setting up barricades around it last week.

They have been taking to the streets asking for Morales’ return since he was forced to resign and left his home county for Mexico.

Bolivian riot police stand guard during a demonstration in La Paz, Bolivia, on November 18, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous leader, was declared president for a fourth term in a recent election but the opposition rejected the outcome and claimed that the election process had been fraudulent.

This sparked violent street protests, which led to a senator proclaiming herself Bolivia’s interim president.

The recent deaths bring to 27 the number of the people killed since unrest began in the wake of the election, according to a tally by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

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