The president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, announced that his government will move forward to regain control of Chapare, the coca-growing region that for decades served as the main political and union stronghold of Evo Morales. The statement came after the Executive managed to overcome the wave of blockades that paralyzed parts of the country for several weeks and which was attributed to sectors aligned with the former socialist president.
The political offensive represents a new chapter in the dispute between the center-right government and Morales, who remains sheltered in that area of the Cochabamba department to avoid an arrest warrant issued by the Bolivian judiciary.
Rodrigo Paz seeks to reaffirm the authority of the State
During an event for the anniversary of the Bolivian Police, Rodrigo Paz stated that the State will recover the territories where it currently does not exercise effective control.
“We are going to recover every territory that today does not belong to us,” declared the president.
The president also emphasized that “there are no owners here, neither of territories nor of sectors”, in a direct reference to the political and union control that Evo Morales has maintained in Chapare for over three decades.
The announcement comes after the government managed to deactivate the largest political crisis since Paz took power in November 2025. For seven weeks, indigenous organizations, unions, and coca producers carried out roadblocks and protests demanding the president's resignation amid a severe economic crisis.
Chapare, the last political refuge of Evo Morales
Chapare is much more than a coca-producing region. It is the territory where Evo Morales built his political career as a union leader and from where he consolidated the structure that led him to the presidency of Bolivia.
Since late 2024, the former president has remained in the area protected by coca-growing organizations that reject the judicial order issued against him in a case linked to alleged trafficking of minors.
Bolivian authorities maintain that Morales' presence in Chapare constitutes an open challenge to the rule of law, as security forces have been unable to execute the arrest warrant due to the organized resistance of his supporters.
