In Bolivia, controversy is growing over alleged US political interference to undermine the government of President Evo Morales. This week six coca grower federations announced they would expel officials with the State Department agency USAID for allegedly funneling money to government opponents. On Thursday, Morales decried what he called a conspiracy against his presidency.

Bolivian President Evo Morales: “The conspiracy, as they say, against the Indian, against the government, against Evo Morales, is USAID. It’s the US embassy. We said, comrades, that we would never break relations. We are the culture of dialogue. Instead, we should be a territory free from US imperialism. This is our great desire, that of the tropical zone of Cochabamba. It’s the conscience of our peoples.”

Tensions have risen since former Bolivian Defense Minister Carlos Sánchez Berzaín said he had been granted asylum in the United States. Berzaín is wanted for his alleged role in a 2003 government crackdown that left sixty-seven people dead and more than 400 wounded.