The growth of political groupings opposing current President Evo Morales within Bolivia’s most prosperous state of Santa Cruz is largely a result of the country’s racial and economic divides that Morales has sought to exploit since he was elected president nearly 21 months ago. Morales, elected largely through the support of Bolivia’s impoverished Indian population, has championed populist causes. Historically, Bolivia has been economically divided with the wealthy minority inhabiting Bolivia’s agricultural lowlands and the poorer, Indian population, mostly confined to the western highlands. Morales has launched the agrarian reform campaigns aimed at landowners in Bolivia’s wealthiest city and province, Santa Cruz.
Self-Defense Forces in Santa Cruz
Previously, the residents of Santa Cruz have openly called for the formation of self-defense forces to prevent the Morales administration from enacting land reform programs and potentially confiscating wealth. Despite these threats President Morales has vowed to redistribute 48 million acres, or almost a fifth of Bolivia’s entire territory, within five years. Although land redistributed to this point has consisted solely of government-owned property, any move to seize privately owned territory in Santa Cruz province will result in conflict and possibly the long-threatened succession of Bolivia’s most prosperous province.
Moreover, Santa Cruz has previously been the center of Bolivia’s energy industry. However, since President Morales nationalized the country’s natural gas industry in 2006, foreign gas companies that maintained their operations in the country have dramatically reduced their exploration activities and infrastructure investment programs. These reductions are partly responsible for Bolivia’s current gas shortage, forcing the Morales’ administration to threaten expropriation of foreign gas company holdings if they do not immediately resume exploration and investment operations. Morales’ nationalization programs and their negative secondary effects on Santa Cruz’s natural gas production has produced further resentment among the wealthy minority within Santa Cruz.
Anti-Morales Militias and Pro-Government Paramilitaries
In addition to the formation of self-defense forces by Santa Cruz’s farming communities, reporting by Brazil’s daily O Globo newspaper publication has identified anti-Morales militias training in the jungles of Santa Cruz. Anonymous Santa Cruz government officials have indicated the anti-Morales militia has an estimated 12,000 paramilitaries preparing to conduct anti-Morales’ government operations outside the state of Santa Cruz.
The alleged formation of an anti-Morales militia force was largely prompted by various reports indicating the formation of Indian paramilitary groups loyal to the Morales administration and designed specifically to quell opposition movements in Santa Cruz. The claim was given further credence after a right-wing and anti-Morales group from Santa Cruz, posted a video on YouTube purporting to show Indian paramilitaries training along the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Social Conflict
As a reflection of growing socio-economic tension, anti-Indian immigrant youth gangs throughout Santa Cruz are growing. The most notorious anti-Indian immigrant gang in Santa Cruz is the Cruceno Youth Union that has conducted several attacks on Indian immigrants, including a raid in August on a largely Indian market. Bolivian news networks recorded several of these attacks, later broadcasting the attacks on national television, producing Indian outrage and fears of an Indian backlash on white communities residing outside the state of Santa Cruz.
Further, the Morales administration has expressed its commitment to apprehending Bolivian citizens that form illegal self-defense groupings, militias or paramilitary units. However, the government’s commitment to ensuring security in Santa Cruz, while allowing opposition groups to peacefully express their dissatisfaction with the Morales administration remains unclear. Opposition politicians have continually accused the Morales administration and the Bolivian military of secretly importing guns and other military equipment from Venezuelan aboard late night flights.
Creation of self-defense forces by the wealthy land-owning classes and anti-government militias may play into Morales’ hands by bolstering leftist supporters throughout Latin America, and becoming a rallying point for Morales supporters. In the near-term, however, tension between Morales’ populist agenda and wealthy elites will continue to grow.
