Bolivian Police Detain Prominent Opposition Leader

Bolivian police on Wednesday detained Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of Santa Cruz and a prominent opposition leader, the latest sign of political tensions in a region that saw the arrest of a president in neighboring Peru earlier this month.

The detention of 43-year-old Camacho, a lawyer and right-wing civic leader who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 and now runs the affluent farming hub of Santa Cruz, was confirmed by the interior minister and Camacho allies.

Authorities have not said why Camacho was arrested but he recently helped lead weeks of protests that blocked streets and halted trade in Santa Cruz.

The protests relate to the national government's delay in carrying out Bolivia's population census, a census that would likely result in Santa Cruz - which has long butted heads with highland political capital La Paz - securing more tax revenues and seats in Congress.

Camacho was taken to a local airport to be flown to La Paz, local media reported. Video of the arrest shared by local news outlets showed Camacho handcuffed on the side of the road and the windows of the car he was traveling in broken. It was not immediately clear who recorded the video.

Camacho's detention comes the same month that former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was ousted, arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for 18 months for attempting to illegally dissolve Congress.

Several of Camacho's allies, including lawmakers Paola Aguirre and Erwin Bazan, said firearms were used in the arrest. Others, including former President Carlos Mesa, called the arrest a "kidnapping."

"The operation to kidnap the governor was carried out in the streets near his home, as he was returning from his duties," the Santa Cruz government said in a statement. "In these moments, the governor's whereabouts are unknown."

Bolivian interior minister Carlos Eduardo Del Castillo said on Twitter that police had detained Camacho, without giving further details.

The Bolivian police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

As word spread of Camacho's arrest, protesters gathered at Santa Cruz's Viru Viru airport, in an apparent attempt to prevent Camacho from being transported to another location. In gas stations long queues began building up as people stocked up on food, fearing the return of road blockades.

Camacho's whereabouts were unclear. Opposition Senator Erik Moron said in a video that he had been taken by helicopter to an unknown location.