Armed protesters force their way into Venezuela’s embassy in Bolivia, diplomats flee – report
A group of masked men reportedly broke into Venezuela’s embassy in Bolivia’s La Paz, forcing its staff to run for their life. Venezuela’s ambassador in Bolivia claimed the attackers wanted to butcher those inside.
“We are fine, but the embassy was taken. They want to massacre us,” Venezuela’s ambassador to Bolivia, Crisbeylee González, said in an audio message, obtained by RT Spanish.
“Please, I need you to report,” she added.
The diplomat said that the thugs who forced their way into the diplomatic compound in the southern La Paz were wearing hoodies and were armed with dynamite and shields, as cited by Agencia Boliviana de Información (ABI), Bolivia’s state news agency.
The reported attack took place shortly after former Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation on Sunday. The socialist leader said he decided to step down so the protesters stop violent attacks on his allies among government officials and indigenous population, his core supporters.
A video, that has been making rounds online, shows a man inciting an attack on the Venezuelan embassy.
The visibly agitated man urges “all Venezuelans living in Bolivia” to “come and take” the building, while denouncing Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro.
Maduro, meanwhile, described Morales’ resignation as a “consummated coup d’état,” while Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on “the world to mobilize for the life and freedom of Evo.”
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said earlier that there should be “no coup” in Bolivia while condemning what he called an “ongoing military operation” in the country. Following Morales’ resignation, Ebrard offered asylum to the ex-leader, noting that about two dozen Bolivian officials have already taken cover in the Mexican official residence in La Paz.
Following reports that the Venezuelan embassy was violated, Ebrard demanded that the integrity of all diplomatic compounds, including that of the Mexican embassy in Bolivia, is respected.
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