Historic Bolivian indigenous leader Felipe Quispe 'El Mallku' has passed away.

El Mallku led the rebellions in La Paz that overthrew neoliberalism in 2003. He also played a crucial role in fighting the US-backed Añez regime during the August general strike.

El Mallku fought alongside Evo Morales during the years of struggle against the neocolonial state and the US military presence. Though, he later split and became a harsh critic of the mestizo/white Marxist intellectuals within the MAS.

Despite internal disputes, El Mallku is widely recognised, across the board, as one of the most important indigenous leaders in Bolivia, particularly for Aymara communities in La Paz. He's a general of the peoples struggle.

Quispe led the national campesino union and the indigenous guerrilla unit known as the 'Tupac Katari Liberation Army'. He later became a History Professor at the Public University of El Alto (UPEA).

Evo Morales and Luis Arce pay tribute to El Mallku and his fight for liberation.

His family have confirmed his death but say that initial media reports are mistaken. He did not die of Covid19, he suffered a cardiac arrest earlier today.