This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
President Evo Morales' call for dialogue with opposition parties has been met with rejection, as protests against his government continue to intensify in Bolivia.
On Saturday, Morales urged opposition leaders to engage in open-ended talks, but excluded powerful regional civic committees from the negotiations.
However, opposition leaders, including former President Carlos Mesa, swiftly rejected the offer, with Mesa stating, "We have nothing to negotiate with Evo Morales and his government."
Additionally, Ruben Costas, the governor of the eastern state of Santa Cruz, also rejected the offer.
The police rebellion, which began on Friday among the elite tactical operations unit known as UTOP in the central city of Cochabamba, has spread to units in Sucre and Santa Cruz.
Despite the government's efforts to maintain control, the rebellion has reached other cities, with the UTOP officers in La Paz withdrawing from their posts in solidarity with the protests.
The unrest has been ongoing since Morales was declared the winner of the October 20 election for a fourth term, with opposition groups branding the result a fraud and demanding his resignation.
Three people have died and hundreds have been injured in the violence.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, opposition leaders are urging the military to join the protests, with former President Jaime Paz Zamora and Jorge Quiroga calling on the troops not to put down the demonstrations.
Quiroga reminded the troops that five former military chiefs remain in prison over the deaths of anti-government protesters in 2003.
