Clashes broke out in the Bolivian capital, La Paz, between police and coca leaf growers on Tuesday.
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Clashes broke out in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, between police and coca leaf growers on Tuesday in a dispute over the plant’s coveted marketing.
Several uniformed personnel and a journalist were injured, several media reported, while numerous manufacturers of the Association of Coca Growers (Adepcoca), while the belligerents of the leftist government Luis Arce marched to demand the closure of a parallel market of the plant, which they said is illegal and has the support of the government.
Last October, thousands of coca leaf growers stormed the country’s coca market in La Paz after violent clashes with security forces.
The Adepcoca market has the focus of a dispute between two teams of coca growers, one unwavering to the government, the other opposed, since last year.
According to UN figures, about 90% of Bolivia’s legal coca leaf trade, $173 million a year, passes through the Adepcoca market.
The dispute is about who deserves the market.
Violence erupted last year when the government-loyal and government-backed organization toppled an opposition figure to seize the facility.
Armin Lluta claimed to have been held hostage for hours and beaten through the government-backed organization before he left the market.
On Tuesday, the leader of the protest, Carlos Choque, announced over the public address system: “We call for the immediate closure of this so-called coca market, which has to do with the legal market of Adepcoca. We will be afraid if they need to ‘kill’. “
Farmers began throwing firecrackers and low-intensity explosive devices known as dynamite plugs, while police responded by making abundant use of tear gas, AFP found.
“We have several police officers injured by the surprise wave of dynamite that was thrown at us aggressively,” police said in a statement.
Adepcoca leaders said they will end their protest before the market closes.
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