Cochabamba dept coca clashes Jan 2003
Cochabamba Dept Coca Clashes Jan 2003
In January 2003, Bolivia witnessed a period of intense social unrest marked by widespread mobilizations and violent confrontations between state forces and various social sectors. In response to Bolivia’s deteriorating socio-economic conditions, on December 24, 2002, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) political party and its leader Evo Morales sent a letter to President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada announcing a January 6 blockade. The letter presented a list of demands on behalf of a broad coalition of unions, cooperatives, and social movements (Hylton 2003). With no response from the government outside of a preemptive anti-blockade propaganda campaign, Bolivian coca growers in Cochabamba department’s Chapare region initiated blockades on Monday, January 13.(La Patria 2003a). The coca-growers’ specific demands included modifications to law 1008 which mandated the forced eradication of coca plantations in the Chapare.(OMCT Network 2003) More broadly, the alliance demanded land reform, an increase in government education and healthcare spending, Bolivia’s exit from the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), assistance for citizens burdened by small debts, the legal recognition of autonomy for El Alto’s public university, and a new national gas export policy.(BBC Mundo 2003b; OMCT Network 2003)
The coca growers’ movement, primarily led by the Six Federations of Coca Growers and the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, sought to end the U.S.-backed “zero coca” eradication policy, which allowed no legal coca production in the Chapare region (Los Tiempos 2003). By January 13, coca growers and MAS had joined other social sectors in a National Mobilization, broadening their demands to include land reform, nationalization of natural resources, and opposition to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) (OMCT Network 2003).
From January 13 to January 25, the confrontations escalated, leading to numerous deaths and injuries. On January 13, Felix Colque, a 45-year-old resident of Shinahota, died of respiratory distress following a police tear gas attack. Reports indicate that he had preexisting respiratory issues and had previously been exposed to tear gas in December 2002. The Joint Eradication Task Force (FTC) was accused of being responsible for his indirect death (“Bolivian Government Represses Coca Protests, Four Dead... So Far” 3AD; La Patria 2003b; “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-Bolivia” 2003).
The following day, January 14, saw further casualties. Rómulo González Terán, a 19-year-old protester, was shot dead by government troops while participating in a roadblock near Kayarani. His body was laid in state on the highway as a symbol of resistance. That same day, Willy Hinojosa, a 22-year-old farmer, was shot and killed by security forces near Shinahota. The Ninth Division claimed that he was killed by a ricochet bullet, while coca growers alleged that he had been arrested and executed while trying to escape (“Bolivian Government Represses Coca Protests, Four Dead... So Far” 3AD). Victor Hinojosa, aged 35, was also shot by soldiers while they were dispersing a blockade in Parotani, Cochabamba, and succumbed to his injuries from bullet wounds (BBC Mundo 2003a).
Additionally, an unidentified person was reported killed by a gunshot in Aguirre on January 14, near Carayani. Witnesses claimed that military personnel attempted to conceal the body (“Terrorismo de Estado en Bolivia” 2003). Several reports also documented the looting of homes, assaults on civilians, and enforced disappearances by the military in Aguirre and Colomi.
The violence continued into the following weeks. On January 21 and January 25, two soldiers were killed during violent confrontations, though reports do not specify the exact circumstances of their deaths (OMCT Network 2003).
The repression extended to political figures, with MAS alternate deputy Luis Cutipa arrested in Ivirgarzama, his home raided by security forces. The military reportedly detained all arrestees at military bases, intensifying human rights concerns (“Terrorismo de Estado en Bolivia” 2003).
Evo Morales, leader of the coca growers and head of MAS, blamed the deaths on President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada and his ministers, including Government Minister Alberto Gasser and Defense Minister Fredy Teodovic. Morales condemned their role in ordering the violent repression of protesters (BBC Mundo 2003b). The January 2003 clashes also reinforced the broader indigenous and peasant resistance movements, setting the stage for the Gas War of 2003 and Sánchez de Lozada’s eventual resignation in October 2003. As Morales later stated, “SI NO NOS MATAN DE HAMBRE NOS MATAN A BALA” (If they do not kill us with hunger, they kill us with bullets) (“EVO MORALES: Llama al Pueblo de Bolivia y Denuncia la Represion y el Genocidio.” 2003).