Bolivia coup: Army chief arrested after rebellion as president urges people to take to the streets

Bolivia’s minister of health, Maria Renee Castro, said eight people had been injured due to impact from pellets following the coup attempt and ensuing civilian protests.

Civilians gathered in protest as hooded and armed individuals surrounded the square, leading to clashes and injuries, the daily La Razon reported.

Now-sacked general Juan Jose Zuniga, who led the coup attempt, was later detained.

The apparent coup attempt in Bolivia comes after the nation of 12 million people faced months of tensions between president Luis Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party.

These tenions have been worsened by a severe economic crisis that has left many Bolivians struggling with a cost of living crisis.

The clashes have paralysed the government's efforts to deal with the economic crisis. Mr Morales's allies in Congress have consistently thwarted Mr Arce's attempts to take on debt to relieve some of the pressure.

Dismissed army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga, who initiated the coup attempt, referenced that paralysis during the rebellion, telling reporters the military was tired of the infighting and was seeking "to restore democracy".

"We are listening to the cry of the people because for many years an elite has taken control of the country," he said, adding that politicians are "destroying the country: look at what situation we are in, what crisis they have left us in.

"The armed forces intend to restore the democracy, to make it a true democracy."

The Kremlin has said it hoped calm would be restored in Bolivia in the wake of an attempted coup, after the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the plotters and expressed Moscow’s support for the government of President Luis Arce.

Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after Arce slammed a “coup” attempt against the government and called for international support.

“This is an internal Bolivian affair. It is very important that our Bolivian friends deal with their own problems within the framework of constitutional legality,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We wish that country a speedy return to calm, and we hope that this will be the case. Of course, it is very important that there was no interference by third countries in what happened in Bolivia.”

Below we have some photos showing pro-goverment protesters celebrating outside the palace where a military group tried to stage a coup on Wednesday.