Evo Morales Accuses Right-Wing Governors of Trying to Stage Violent Coup; 30 Dead, Many Still Missing in Pando

Evo Morales Accuses Right-Wing Governors of Trying to Stage Violent Coup; 30 Dead, Many Still Missing in Pando

A fragile dialogue between the Bolivian government and its opponents seemed to inch forward Tuesday as President Evo Morales and opposition governors from the country’s restive eastern provinces agreed to begin talks. They had previously appeared to break down when the Bolivian army arrested one of the opposition governors, Leopoldo Fernandez from the rightist Podemos opposition party. The attorney general accused the governor of genocide. He had governed the province of Pando, where between fifteen and thirty pro-Morales peasants were killed last week. Meanwhile, the Peace Corps has withdrawn its 2,500 volunteers from Bolivia, and the US State Department is organizing at least two evacuation flights for US citizens who want to leave the country.