Villa Tunari Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Villa Tunari Massacre or Massacre of Villa Tunari was a 27 June 1988 mass killing committed by UMOPAR
(Rural Patrol Mobile Unit) troops, and according to some accounts United States
DEA
military trainers, against peasants and cocalero
s in the town of Villa Tunari
in Chapare Province
, Bolivia
. The cocalero movement had mobilized since late May 1988 in opposition to coca eradication under Law 1008, then on the verge of becoming law. The attack killed 12 people and injured over a hundred. Bolivian president Evo Morales
recalls being present at the confrontation: "I was a witness to how the gringos from the DEA fired upon us and the Villa Tunari massacre was made. Later, we recovered cadavers drowned in the river and others with bullet wounds. It was all for the defense of the coca leaf against Law 1008."
The massacre helped bring about the consolidation of Chapare unions into the Coordinadora of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba.
UMOPAR
The Unidad Móvil Policial para Áreas Rurales , a subsidiary of the Special Antinarcotics Force of the Bolivian National Police was created in 1987 and is a Bolivian anti-narcotics and counterinsurgency force which was founded by, and is funded, advised,...
(Rural Patrol Mobile Unit) troops, and according to some accounts United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
military trainers, against peasants and cocalero
Cocalero
Cocaleros are the coca leaf growers of Peru and Bolivia. Evo Morales, who became president of Bolivia in 2006, is a leader of the cocalero movement in that country.-Cocalero movement:...
s in the town of Villa Tunari
Villa Tunari
Villa Tunari or Tunari is a location in the department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is the seat of the Villa Tunari Municipality, the third municipal section of the Chapare Province. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 2,510....
in Chapare Province
Chapare Province
Chapare, also called The Chapare and is pronounced Cha-pa-reh, is a rural province in the northern region of Cochabamba Department in central Bolivia. The majority of the territory consists of valley rainforests that surround the area's main waterway, the Chapare River, which is also a tributary of...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. The cocalero movement had mobilized since late May 1988 in opposition to coca eradication under Law 1008, then on the verge of becoming law. The attack killed 12 people and injured over a hundred. Bolivian president Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
recalls being present at the confrontation: "I was a witness to how the gringos from the DEA fired upon us and the Villa Tunari massacre was made. Later, we recovered cadavers drowned in the river and others with bullet wounds. It was all for the defense of the coca leaf against Law 1008."
The massacre helped bring about the consolidation of Chapare unions into the Coordinadora of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba.