The bloodied shirt of an anti-neoliberal protestor following clashes with Rodrigo Paz's state forces. Photo: EFE.
In the context of the current political crisis gripping his country, former Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed his gratitude this Monday to Colombian President Gustavo Petro and former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya.
Morales highlighted Petro’s offer to act as mediator in the face of the “popular insurrection” and praised Zelaya’s consistent defence of sovereignty, social justice, and Latin American integration.
Through his account on the social network X, the Indigenous leader thanked President Petro for “understanding the true process that Bolivia is living through and not following the false narrative being spread.” He also valued the Colombian president’s support for the search for peaceful solutions in Bolivia and for his defence of Latin American sovereignty in the face of US imperialism.
Regarding Manuel Zelaya, Morales recalled that his voice has been “always on the side of sovereignty, social justice, and Latin American integration,” which strengthens resistance against attempts to subjugate and appropriate Bolivia’s resources.
For his part, Petro described the recent events in Bolivia as a consequence of “geopolitical arrogance” and defended the need for Latin America and the Caribbean to be heard by the world directly and peacefully.
The Colombian president added that his government is willing, if invited, to explore mechanisms for a peaceful way out of the political crisis in Bolivia and emphasised that there should be no political prisoners in any nation on the continent.
Petro also evoked cultural and symbolic references from the region, such as the legend of the jaguar and the condor, and reminded Bolivia’s current president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, of the history of Latin American progressivism.
“In Panama, I spoke with the president of Bolivia about his father Paz Zamora, the first Latin American progressivism, and his time in Bogotá and Panama in exile, where he received visits from General Omar Torrijos and from the M-19 with Carlos Vidales, the poet’s son,” said President Petro. “May that memory fill him today with love for his people and open the door to dialogue to transform Bolivia into an ever deeper and more sovereign democracy, profoundly Latin American.”
The situation in Bolivia has intensified due to a popular mobilization demanding the fulfilment of electoral promises, which has given rise to one of the country’s worst recent political crises.
Bolivian Prosecutors Demand the Arrest of Former President Evo Morales
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SL
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
