An armed group has seized a camp outside the city of Cochabamba and is holding about 20 soldiers captive, the country’s armed forces said.

The seizure of the camp, about 100 miles east of Cochabamba, is the latest episode in Bolivia’s fragile and often violent political scene.

The military described the gunmen as “disorderly”, noting that such actions amount to treason, and called on them to leave “immediately and peacefully”.

“The lives of trainers and soldiers are at risk,” an unnamed military official warned in a message carried by local media.

Television footage shows uniformed soldiers with their hands behind their backs, possibly tied, surrounded by armed men.

Earlier today some soldiers stationed in the area and their families fled their homes. Police stations were closed, to avoid further confrontations.

After the police and army tried to break up the barricades on the highway connecting Cochabamba to the city of Oruro, some protesters retaliated by throwing dynamite at them from nearby hills. The police responded with tear gas.

The occupation of the barracks is seen as retaliation for efforts by security forces of President Luis Arce’s government to open roads that have remained closed since mid-October after supporters of former President Evo Morales erected barricades.

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, Arce called for an end to the blockades as the closure of key freight routes has already cost the country more than $1.7 billion.