Peru has sent four tonnes of food to Bolivia and joined a regional humanitarian airlift — the first direct international aid response to a blockade that has cut La Paz off from food, fuel, and commerce for three consecutive weeks.
The announcement came as Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales returned to the political offensive, issuing an ultimatum from his base in the Chapare coca region: call elections within 90 days, or face escalated confrontation. Morales warned against any militarization of rural roads and said his movement would blockade main highways again if the government refused to capitulate.
Peru’s Foreign Minister said the four-tonne aid convoy — coordinated with Brazil and Argentina under a trilateral humanitarian framework — was purely humanitarian and did not represent political backing for any faction in La Paz. Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The regional dimension underscores how the three-week Bolivia crisis has become a test case for Andean multilateralism. Three regional presidents — Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Gabriel Boric of Chile — have all offered mediation or humanitarian assistance, and a coordinated response is now taking shape.
President Rodrigo Paz, who has cut his own salary by 50% in a failed bid to defuse tensions, faces simultaneous pressure from the street and the diplomatic table. His government has resisted declaring a national emergency but has not ruled it out if blockades continue.
- 3,500+ road blockades active across Bolivia, according to government estimates
- 14 confirmed dead since protests escalated in early May
- $50 million-plus in daily economic losses, per the Finance Ministry
- 90 days — the Morales ultimatum countdown
- 90 arrested in La Paz alone over the past week
The breakthrough aid delivery is narrow in scope — four tonnes covers basic nutrition needs for a few days in the hardest-hit areas — but it opens a channel governments in the region hope to expand. Bolivia’s internal politics remain deadlocked, but the trilateral coordination signals that regional powers are prepared to act independently of Washington on Andean security.
Diego Vargas covers Latin America for Media Hook. Follow coverage here.