LA PAZ -- The Bolivian government will arrest former president Evo Morales in due time, a senior official said on Thursday.

"We have to wait for the right moment. The action will be taken, and the arrest warrant will be complied without putting the lives of innocent people at risk," said Gustavo Torrico, deputy minister of coordination and government management.

Morales, who served as Bolivian president from 2006 to 2019, was accused of human trafficking and rape.

Bolivian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Morales on Dec 16, and Bolivian prosecutors have requested an immigration alert for him on Dec 19.

The former president now stayed in the region protected by a security team organized by loyal social movements in Chapare in Cochabamba department. During the Christmas dinner, he thanked his followers for their support, describing the arrest attempt as a political persecution.