EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) 鈥 Bolivia's pro-government supporters and security forces confronted protesters loyal to former president Evo Morales in a street melee Sunday, the second such violent escalation this week as fears grew of further unrest in the Andean nation.
The protesters and counterprotesters hurled firecrackers, homemade explosives and stones at each other across a dusty sprawl in the city of El Alto, while riot police unleashed tear gas into the crowds. At least eight people were injured, Bolivia's health ministry reported.
The standoff 鈥 erupting while to the capital of La Paz 鈥 spoke to the in Bolivian politics ahead of next year's presidential election.
Morales and his former economy minister-turned-bitter-rival, , are vying to lead Bolivia's long-dominant socialist party, known by its Spanish acronym MAS, into the 2025 vote. In recent months has paralyzed the government, exacerbated the and fueled street protests.
The rolling , when Morales 鈥 who came to power in 2006 鈥 was forced to resign after being reelected to a in a vote marred by accusations of fraud and . He left the country but made a , returning to find he had retained among poor and Indigenous Bolivians.
, bound together by misery over Bolivia鈥檚 economic meltdown and outraged by efforts to block the candidacy of their polarizing former leader, the marchers stopped Sunday on their sixth day of walking to sleep at an encampment 11 kilometers (7 miles) from El Alto, a sprawling city on a plateau above Bolivia鈥檚 capital.
Seeking to portray the march as a reflection of Bolivia鈥檚 Indigenous highland culture as much as a political exercise, Morales 鈥 surrounded by supporters waving the multicolored flag dear to Indigenous Andeans that the leftist leader turned into a patriotic symbol when he served as the country鈥檚 first Indigenous president 鈥 praised his supporters鈥 鈥減eace and enthusiasm.鈥
Other Morales supporters broke off from the march and pressed into the scrappy outskirts of El Alto, where security forces and supporters of Arce had massed in anticipation of their arrival. The clashed in the neighborhood of Ventilla as acrid smoke from burning tires and thick clouds of tear gas coursed through the streets.
Each side blamed the other for the violence. Morales accused Arce's government of deploying 鈥減aramilitary groups to incite violence," busing officers into El Alto to stir up trouble 鈥 a claim echoed by Bolivia's ombudsman.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very sad that this government doesn't pay attention to its conscience,鈥 said Benita Cruz, a Morales supporter at the scene of Sunday鈥檚 clashes. 鈥淭hey are repressing the poor and most humble people.鈥
A senior minister in Arce's government, Eduardo Del Castillo, lambasted Morales' march as "coup-mongering." In increasingly dramatic terms, Arce 鈥 who earlier this year faced 鈥 has accused Morales of seeking to sabotage his government.
The unrest offered a possible preview for the coming days, as Morales and his thousands of supporters have promised to continue their so-called 鈥淢arch to Save Bolivia鈥 into La Paz despite vows by Arce's supporters to prevent them.
鈥淲e are holding on until we reach La Paz, we want to tell the government that it has seven days to solve the massive problems we have in the country,鈥 said Marta Mamani, one of the marchers.
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Valdez reported from La Paz, Bolivia. Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.
