Erik Prince claimed that foreign fighters would be collaborating with indigenous sectors and paramilitary groups linked to the former Bolivian president.
Erik Prince, founder of the American private military company Blackwater, reported that armed groups from Colombia have entered Bolivia to support radicalized indigenous sectors and paramilitary forces linked to former dictator Evo Morales amid the growing political crisis in Bolivia.
According to Prince during an interview broadcast in U.S. and Latin American media, Western intelligence services are closely monitoring the movements of irregular fighters towards Bolivia in the context of the protests, blockades, and clashes occurring in the country.
The businessman stated that some of these groups would have experience in guerrilla warfare, drug trafficking, and irregular operations previously carried out in Colombia and other areas of Latin America. He also claimed that there are signs of logistical and financial cooperation with sectors close to the evismo.
The founder of Blackwater Erik Prince
“We are witnessing the internationalization of an attempt to destabilize the democratic government of Bolivia,” Prince stated, who also linked the situation to regional drug trafficking networks and radical left organizations.
The statements come as President Rodrigo Paz's government hardens its rhetoric against the mobilizations driven by sectors aligned with Evo Morales. In recent days, La Paz has denounced attempts to “destroy democracy” and promised to take legal action against those participating in violent or insurrectional actions.
Bolivia has been experiencing weeks of intense political tension following massive protests, road blockades, and clashes between protesters and security forces. The government maintains that behind the mobilizations there is a coordinated attempt at destabilization driven by the old political apparatus of the MAS.
Prince also stated that some armed groups are using corridors linked to drug trafficking to enter Bolivian territory from neighboring countries. He said this would explain the recent increase in violence and the use of more organized tactics in some protests.
Groups linked to Evo Morales blocking the streets of La Paz
The founder of Blackwater has held very critical positions towards Latin American socialist governments for years and often collaborates with conservative and security sectors linked to the United States. On various occasions, he has publicly supported operations against the regimes of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
So far, the Colombian government has not officially responded to the accusations.
However, Bolivian officials close to Rodrigo Paz had previously denounced the presence of criminal networks and international actors linked to drug trafficking behind some of the protests affecting the country.
Prince's statements could further increase regional tension and reinforce the narrative of the Bolivian government, which is facing a coordinated attempt at political destabilization supported by radicalized sectors of the former ruling party.
