LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- President Evo Morales says he is "proud" of coca growers in Bolivia's Chapare region for expelling a U.S. government aid agency amid charges it backs his government's opponents.
Bolivian leader Evo Morales calls the expulsion "part of a growing rebellion against the empire."
Morales calls the region's decision to suspend operations of the U.S. Agency for International Development "part of a growing rebellion against the empire," a reference to the United States.
Sinahota Mayor Rimer Agreda said Friday that USAID personnel had left the region.
Chapare's growers on Wednesday accused the agency of using aid to undermine Morales, an opponent of U.S. efforts to eradicate coca, the base ingredient in cocaine.
The U.S. Embassy has not commented.
On Wednesday, the embassy expressed concern about the security of the agency's staff in Chapare.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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