José Wilson Sánchez is a

Bolivian Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS Bolivian, SS ''Bolivian'', later SS ''Alfios'', a British-built standard cargo ship {{disambiguation ...

military officer who currently serves as the army chief and the commanding general () of the

Bolivian Army The Bolivian Army () is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the army has between 26,000 and 6 ...

since the failed coup attempt of 26 June 2024.

2024 coup attempt

On 26 June 2024, General

Juan José Zúñiga Juan José Zúñiga Macías is a former Bolivian Army officer who served as the General of the Bolivian Army from November 2022 until his dismissal in June 2024 following his role in the coup d'état attempt against the President Luis Arce. ...

, the commander of the

, attempted a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

of President

Luis Arce Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (; born 28 September 1963), often referred to as Lucho, is a Bolivian banker, economist, and politician serving as the 67th president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism (Bolivia), Movement fo ...

, by sending troops in armoured vehicles to seize the

Plaza Murillo The Plaza Murillo is the central plaza of the city of La Paz and the open space most connected to the political life of Bolivia. Prominent buildings on the plaza include the Presidential Palace, National Congress of Bolivia, and the Cathedral of L ...

in La Paz, the country's

administrative capital A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational division, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encom ...

, and storm the

Casa Grande del Pueblo The Casa Grande del Pueblo (English: Great House of the People) is the Bolivian presidential residence that replaced the Palacio Quemado in 2018. It is a 30 story tower. Inaugurated on 9 August 2018 during the presidency of Evo Morales as the of ...

, the presidential palace. During the coup attempt, Arce appointed new heads of the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, and

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

while stating that the troops that rose up against him were "staining the uniform". Arce appointed Sánchez as the new army chief and the commanding general. In his first act, Sánchez ordered all troops taking part in the coup to stand down and return to their barracks. Troops quickly evacuated the plaza following the order.

References

Bolivian generals Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century births {{Bolivia-mil-bio-stub