Bolivia Declares State of Emergency Amid Fuel and Food Supply Blockade

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has declared a state of emergency amid a deepening fuel and food supply crisis. The decision gives the army wider authority to remove road blockades that have disrupted supply routes in the capital La Paz and other major cities. The protests have continued for five weeks, with demonstrators opposing the government’s strict austerity measures, especially the reduction of fuel subsidies, and demanding President Paz’s resignation.

Violent clashes have taken place between riot police and protesters carrying dynamite. Authorities said at least 365 people have been arrested and 37 people injured. According to Bolivia’s human rights bodies, at least 17 people have died during the protests, many of them reportedly after failing to receive timely medical treatment due to transport blockades. Major road blockades have surrounded La Paz, creating shortages of fuel and food, halting transport services and affecting hospitals. President Paz said the emergency was not meant to restrict people’s lives, but to restore their freedom. Businesses have been forced to close, supermarket supplies have run out and hospitals are facing oxygen shortages.