Cotoca Land Dispute 2023
During a confrontation between established residents and squatters on September 7th in the Mapaiso Rincón La Quinta area of Cotoca, Herland Salinas Añez (37) was stabbed multiple times. First, he was hacked by a machete, then attacked by a short-blade knife (arma blanca), resulting in his death (Nacional Seguridad 23AD). Alejandra Barboza, the wife of the victim, called for justice for her husband’s death. She stated that they had been residing on the land for over two years and were caught off guard by the sudden attack from the invaders. According to residents, they stated the man was run over by a truck when the mob of invaders arrived, and recounted the mob also ran over several others.
In addition to Herlan’s loss, others suffered serious injuries during the confrontation from machetes and bullet wounds. One of them was a 17-year-old boy who arrived at the municipal hospital in Cotoca with a wound in the pelvis but was evacuated to a third-level hospital. A woman told ANF the clashes over the land began three days ago. Meanwhile, other witnesses said that the dispute began when neighbors tried to evict a group of squatters and enter houses that were inhabited (El Diario 2023). Per a more detailed report, the housing takeover was sudden and carried out by a group arriving in a van, making the squatters the attackers. The departmental commander of the Santa Cruz Police, Erick Holguin, confirmed the arrest of more than 33 people who would be investigated for illegal land occupation (Urbe Bolivia 23AD). Furthermore, It was confirmed that during the clashes, two of the arrested linked to the attacks said they had been hired to evict the families who had settled there (Sánchez, Lubomir Endara 23AD). Since the dispute, the area has been undergoing continual conflict.