Coripata Adepcoca Clash
Police Sergeant Miguel Ángel Quispe Nina was killed in an episode of armed violence in July of 2021. This event was a part of the ongoing conflict over leadership of Adepcoca, the La Paz Departmental Association of Coca Growers (“Defensoría del Pueblo lamenta la muerte de un policía durante enfrentamiento entre cocaleros en Coripata y pide investigar presencia de civiles con armas de fuego” 2021). Split between pro- and anti-government factions, the conflict resurfaced in 2021 in a series of protests, unarmed street battles, building takeovers, and finally an electoral campaign.
The pro-MAS faction led by Elena Flores convened a meeting of the organization in Coripata to swear in an electoral committee. The opposition faction led by Armin Lluta (since Franclin Gutierrez’s incarceration) blockaded a roadway leading to the town. Police came to break up the blockade using non-lethal methods (“Ministerio de Gobierno Bolivia” 2021). They were met by Lluta’s protesters in Bajo Unduavi or Auquisamaña, the village before Coripata. Police Commander Jhonny Aguilera stated that they were stopped in a blockade they believe to have been caused by machinery, citing ditches that were impossible to fill (“La Policía desconoce si hay extranjeros en el conflicto cocalero que dejó un muerto” 2021). After an hour of fighting with sticks, stones, and petards, the protestors drove off the police and proceeded into town to confront the Flores supporters (Spedding Pallet 2023).
Police sergeant Miguel Ángel Quispe Nina of Bolivia’s National Police riot control unit, La Unidad Táctica de Operaciones Policiales (UTOP), was shot in the Bajo Unduavi or Auquisamaña region by sectors of Lluta’s protestors that ambushed the police (“Ministerio de Gobierno Bolivia” 2021). The Bolivian National Police Commandment, Jhonny Aguilera, said that they presume Quispe Nina was shot by a Mauser rifle (“Conforman equipo de investigación para esclarecer enfrentamientos de Adepcoca” 2021). According to the Fire Department’s report, Quispe Nina suffered a projectile wound on his back causing hemorrhaging and was transferred by the Fire Department to La Paz for medical treatment (“Policía Boliviana confirma la muerte de un efectivo durante el desbloqueo en Coripata” 2021). They stopped in Unduavi, where Quispe Nina was administered 5 rounds of CPR, without response (“Policía Boliviana confirma la muerte de un efectivo durante el desbloqueo en Coripata” 2021). His corpse was transported to the morgue of Hospital de Clínicas in La Paz (“Defensoría del Pueblo lamenta la muerte de un policía durante enfrentamiento entre cocaleros en Coripata y pide investigar presencia de civiles con armas de fuego” 2021). Flores was the first one to report Quispe Nina’s death after being shot in Auquisamaña, and an official report followed later (“Policía Boliviana confirma la muerte de un efectivo durante el desbloqueo en Coripata” 2021). Flores also reported that after learning of blockades with dynamite on the entrance routes to the Ramiro Castillo stadium in Coripata they postponed their assembly until July 5, moving it to the sports field in the Chuaquillo area of La Paz (Quisbert 2021).
Sub-lieutenant Reinaldo Quispe also suffered a nonfatal gunshot to the head and was transferred to the Virgen de Copacabana Hospital (“La Policía desconoce si hay extranjeros en el conflicto cocalero que dejó un muerto” 2021; “Defensoría del Pueblo lamenta la muerte de un policía durante enfrentamiento entre cocaleros en Coripata y pide investigar presencia de civiles con armas de fuego” 2021). Police and Flores blamed Lluta’s faction and alleged foreigners were involved. Flores accused Lluta of hiring foreigners to intimidate the coca growers in Coripata (“La Policía desconoce si hay extranjeros en el conflicto cocalero que dejó un muerto” 2021). Police Commander Jhonny Aguilera stated on July 5, 2021 that they still did not know if foreigners from Peru or Colombia were involved in the conflict, citing the Mauser rifle supposed to have shot Quispe Nina. It is presumed to be one of the Mauser rifles used in the Chaco War due to the distance the projectile traveled and the hole in the body (“La Policía desconoce si hay extranjeros en el conflicto cocalero que dejó un muerto” 2021).
Lluta reported that the police used gas tactics and as a result people ran for the mountains. He also relayed that the police detained some people and others were injured. (“Policía Boliviana confirma la muerte de un efectivo durante el desbloqueo en Coripata” 2021) Lluta, speaking with one newspaper, warned that they were going to use the death of Quispe Nina to “decapitate” Adepcoca’s leadership, claiming that MAS had political intentions behind their interest in Adepcoca (“Lluta Dice Que Quieren Usar La Muerte Del Policía Para «Descabezar» a Su Adepcoca - Diario Pagina Siete” 2021). Citing evidence of the cases of the Las Américas hotel (Santa Cruz, in 2009), the death of Vice Minister Illanes (2016) and another uniformed man in La Asunta (2018), Lluta affirmed that the government has a history of creating cases to deconstruct their political opponents (“Lluta Dice Que Quieren Usar La Muerte Del Policía Para «Descabezar» a Su Adepcoca - Diario Pagina Siete” 2021). He explained his suspicion that Aguilera manufactured this case in order to diffuse accusations that he was operating the MAS government (“Lluta Dice Que Quieren Usar La Muerte Del Policía Para «Descabezar» a Su Adepcoca - Diario Pagina Siete” 2021).
There are several contested aspects of this event, as there are no reports of firearms being seen during the confrontation. Additionally, in photos, the supposed victim was dressed in a camouflaged uniform even though all the police seen at the clash were wearing their standard olive green anti-riot kit. Later, Arce’s Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo gave a press conference on the conflict. In this press conference, he presented photos taken in a completely different Yungas town a year earlier (Spedding Pallet 2023).
Aftermath
Elena Flores reported that the Yungas were in mourning for five days following the death of Quispe Nina and expressed her solidarity with his family (“Cocaleros declaran cinco días de duelo por la muerte de policía en enfrentamientos en los Yungas” 2021). Flores said that they simply wanted direction for their organization, asserting that if Lluta had wanted to he should have presented himself as a candidate at the assembly instead of harming them (“Cocaleros declaran cinco días de duelo por la muerte de policía en enfrentamientos en los Yungas” 2021). Daynor Choque, president of Adepcoca Regional Coripata, was accused as the ‘intellectual author’ of the murder and arrested and imprisoned (Spedding Pallet 2023). Five others died in the Adepcoca conflict in 2018 and 2019.
Afterwards, the Bolivian Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo called for a meeting scheduled for Monday, July 5 at 16 hours (“Ministerio de Gobierno Bolivia” 2021). This meeting was held between the National Government, seven mayors from Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS), deputies and leaders from the Consejo de Federaciones Campesinas de los Yungas (Cofecay), and representatives the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) (“Un Policía Muerto En Enfrentamientos Con Cocaleros En Bolivia” 2021). Armin Lluta, fearful of being arrested, was not present but sent representatives on his behalf (“Arranca en medio de incidentes mesa de diálogo para resolver el conflicto en Adepcoca” 2021). Police Commander Jhonny Aguilera was present, as well as Elena Flores (“Arranca en medio de incidentes mesa de diálogo para resolver el conflicto en Adepcoca” 2021). Del Castillo announced that the decision reached in that meeting would bind the government on Adepcoca management (“Arranca en medio de incidentes mesa de diálogo para resolver el conflicto en Adepcoca” 2021). After 5 hours of discussion and assistance by the Tribunal Electoral Departamental (TED) de La Paz, the negotiations ended in an agreement to hold leadership elections for Coripa in the combined organization 45 days later in September. (“Diálogo acuerda elecciones en 45 días en Adepcoca para resolver el conflicto cocalero de Yungas” 2021) An election committee was formed containing candidates from both factions, as well as a Comisión de Justicia to investigate violence in the region since 2018 (“Diálogo acuerda elecciones en 45 días en Adepcoca para resolver el conflicto cocalero de Yungas” 2021). Lluta stated that his delegates did not sign the document, but would review it and sign Wednesday at the meeting barring objections (“Diálogo acuerda elecciones en 45 días en Adepcoca para resolver el conflicto cocalero de Yungas” 2021). Nevertheless, dissension and physical confrontations between the two sides continued.
In the first week of September, elections began across the voting regions, but the media dismissed the news that local banks would need to see proof of voting for the next three months (standard procedure for national elections) and consequently voting was suspended in most regions. The region of Asunta carried through with their election, but the supposed winner did not trust the votes and voting was dismissed. Flores’ ADEPCOCA held an assembly in the football field in Chuquiaguillo two weeks later and attempted to hold an election by acclamation. However, supporters of Arnold Alanes from Chamaca and of his closest rival, Fernando Calle began to fight. Police broke the fighting apart with tear gas, and everyone dispersed. While Alanes and his followers left for Villa Fatima, Calle’s faction later returned and elected him. Minister Eduardo del Castillo officially recognized Alanes the following day as the ‘legal and legitimate’ President of ADEPCOCA despite the unclear election process (Spedding Pallet 2023).
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Elene Flores, pro-MAS leader of Adepcoca: “Nos hemos visto en la necesidad de suspender la asamblea, porque hemos tenido dos bajas, de un teniente de la Policía y un sargento, que en la comunidad de Auquisamaña fueron arremetidos por gente peruana, que no fue a puños ni con dinamita. Han usado balas, a uno le perforaron el pulmón y a otro la bala le llegó a la cabeza” (P7, July 3)
See also (“Lluta Dice Que Quieren Usar La Muerte Del Policía Para «Descabezar» a Su Adepcoca - Diario Pagina Siete” 2021; Quisbert 2021)