Coca Clashes May 1997
On May 7, 1997, a confrontation occurred in the town of Samuzabety, a region for coca cultivation in Bolivia. Government forces, comprising personnel from the Unified Mobile Group for the Eradication of Illegal Coca (UMOPAR), the Ecological Police, the National Directorate for Coca Eradication (DIRECO), and the Bolivian Army, entered the area with over 60 vehicles to implement forced coca eradication measures in line with national drug control policies. This intervention led to violent clashes with local coca-growing communities, resulting in multiple casualties and escalating tensions between the government and peasant organizations
The local population responded immediately, viewing the eradication efforts as a direct threat to their economic survival and cultural identity. The confrontation escalated, culminating in the death of UMOPAR officer Manuel Veramendi from a gunshot wound. Additionally, four police officers—Ángel Estrada Copa, Filiberto Mamani Balboa, Crispín Quispe Escalante, Aurelio Choque, and Silvia Martínez—sustained injuries, along with DIRECO official Edgar Bazualto Dantes. Weeks later, Aurelio Choque succumbed to his injuries (ANF). Among the civilians, individuals such as Edilfredo López, Luis Mamani Sipe, Pedro Lizarazu Calque, and Justo Medardo suffered injuries, with Lucio Calque experiencing severe cranial trauma that necessitated urgent medical attention at Viedma Hospital in Cochabamba (Salazar Ortuño 2008b, 352). During the confrontation, members of the Human Rights office from the Ministry of Justice faced verbal harassment and threats of physical violence from UMOPAR and Ecological Police officers
In the aftermath, Evo Morales, a prominent leader of the coca growers’ movement, convened with supporters in Eterazama. Despite a temporary cessation of incursions, apprehension remained high due to the severity of the previous day’s events. Morales asserted that as long as forced eradication continued and detained individuals remained in custody, mobilization efforts would persist (Salazar Ortuño 2008b, 353). The Bolivian government extended an invitation for dialogue from La Paz; however, coca grower representatives, led by Morales, stipulated conditions for negotiations: guarantees for the safety of union leaders, demilitarization of coca-growing regions, cessation of forced eradication, and the immediate release of detained individuals. They maintained that without these conditions, any proposed dialogue would merely perpetuate state repression
Additionally, the Bolivian government addressed the escalating tensions in the Chapare region. Minister of Government Víctor Hugo Canelas asserted that while a “narco-guerrilla” presence was absent, there were “narco-cocaleros” (coca growers involved in narcotics trafficking) operating in the area (Agencia de Noticias Fides 1997). He attributed the death of police officer Manuel Veramendi to narcotics traffickers and emphasized that the government’s coca eradication efforts were conducted within legal frameworks, aiming for concerted and compensated policies to maintain peace in the Chapare region. Vice President Víctor Hugo Cárdenas echoed the need for peaceful and negotiated coca eradication strategies, highlighting the importance of dialogue to resolve conflicts.
Conversely, Alejo Véliz, a peasant leader and presidential candidate from the United Left, challenged the government’s claims about the existence of a “narco-guerrilla,” urging authorities to present concrete evidence if such groups were present (Agencia de Noticias Fides 1997). The government of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) and then-Colonel Roberto Pérez Tellería—now Commander General of the Police—asserted that the ambush was “a ruthless aggression by drug trafficking against innocent lives” (Agencia Noticias Fides, n.d.).
These events were part of a broader pattern of state interventions against coca-growing communities. Morales characterized these actions as “state terrorism,” citing the indiscriminate use of force, illegal detentions, instances of torture, and destruction of private property by the Special Force for the Fight Against Drug Trafficking (FELCN). The confrontation at Samuzabety exemplified the intensifying conflict over coca eradication policies in Bolivia, aligning with the framework of a “high-intensity conflict” as outlined in the Cartagena Agreement and its annexes (Salazar Ortuño 2008a).