South American nation suffers big protests as financial disaster fuels unrest towards President Paz’s authorities.
Printed On 18 Might 2026
Bolivian safety forces have clashed with followers of ex-President Evo Morales as they marched into the capital as a part of a nationwide protest movement fuelled by the nation’s worst financial disaster in a era.
After a six-day march via the Andes, hundreds of Morales’s supporters, some brandishing dynamite sticks and slingshots, converged on the capital, La Paz, on Monday, the place they had been met by riot police.
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Dynamite blasts rumbled downtown. Safety forces fired again with canisters of tear fuel that wafted over demonstrators who known as for the president’s resignation simply six months into his tenure. “Homeland or loss of life, we are going to win!” they chanted.
Rallies and roadblocks that began over two weeks in the past have turn into the most important problem to this point to President Rodrigo Paz, Bolivia’s first conservative chief after practically 20 years of socialist governance, and have provoked shortages throughout the nation.
Paz got here to workplace final yr as a wave of conservative leaders allied with the administration of President Donald Trump in america swept Latin America. Inheriting the nation’s most extreme financial disaster in 40 years, Paz has struggled to replenish Bolivia’s scarce gas, restrain its huge finances deficit and resolve its scarcity of US {dollars}, whereas additionally placating the highly effective Morales-linked teams that might disrupt his presidency.
In latest days, his authorities has reached offers with placing miners and lecturers, who agreed to finish their protests. Nevertheless, many teams proceed to protest.
Highway blockades have lengthy been the principle weapon of social actions allied with Morales that declare to characterize Bolivia’s rural Indigenous majority. Over the previous 16 days, these blockades have stranded hundreds of vehicles on key highways, triggering shortages of meals, gas and medical provides in La Paz and different cities.
The federal government deployed police and army officers throughout the nation to attempt to break the blockades over the weekend, resulting in an unspecified variety of accidents and a minimum of 90 arrests as of Monday, in accordance with the general public prosecutor.
“They’ll march if it’s peaceable, however we are going to take motion in the event that they commit crimes,” Deputy Inside Minister Hernán Paredes mentioned.
Paz accuses Morales of orchestrating the unrest to undermine his administration, and the president has seen help roll in from neighbouring states.
Eight allied Latin American governments, from Argentina to Panama, launched a joint assertion final week rejecting “any motion geared toward destabilizing the democratic order”.
The US Division of State added to the condemnation on Sunday, saying it helps Paz’s efforts “to revive order for the peace, safety, and stability of the Bolivian individuals”.
At Paz’s request, neighbouring Argentina introduced it could begin a weeklong humanitarian airlift to alleviate shortages within the nation.
Morales marshalled the most recent march from his hideout in Bolivia’s distant tropics. He has been holed up within the highlands for the previous yr and a half, evading an arrest warrant on expenses regarding his sexual relationship with a 15-year-old lady.
Morales says the allegations are politically motivated.
