LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia slid deeper into political chaos Thursday as explosions echoed through the capital’s government district, a day after the government ordered 3,000 security officers to clear nearly 100 roadblocks that have paralyzed the country for weeks and as one demonstrator was shot dead in unclear circumstances in Calamarca during a roadblock clearing operation.
The crisis, which erupted in January over the removal of fuel subsidies and broadened dramatically in May, has now escalated to the point where the United States publicly described the protest movement as a potential coup, while the government of President Rodrigo Paz accused former President Evo Morales of orchestrating the unrest from the shadows.
From Fuel Protests to a National Siege
What began as a movement led by Indigenous farmers and transport workers demanding the restoration of fuel subsidies has metastasized into a full-blown anti-government mobilization drawing in miners, teachers, truckers, and the Bolivian Workers’ Center labor group. The latest escalation came on May 11, when a judge found Morales — who remains a towering figure in Bolivian politics — in contempt of court in his ongoing human trafficking trial. The ruling ignited fresh fury in the streets and shifted demonstrators’ demands from subsidy reform to nothing less than Paz’s resignation.
Protests have spread from their original strongholds in the La Paz department to all nine of Bolivia’s departments. Demonstrators have erected approximately 100 roadblocks across the country, disrupting supply chains, worsening already acute shortages of basic goods, and cutting off access to essential services in large swaths of the Andean nation.
Violence Escalates as Police Use Dynamite
While most demonstrations have remained peaceful, confrontations have turned increasingly violent. On May 18, protesters armed with dynamite exchanged blows with police near government buildings in scenes that recalled Bolivia’s most turbulent political eras. Then, on May 23, a demonstrator was shot and killed in Calamarca during a security forces operation to clear a roadblock — an incident that remains under investigation and has further inflamed public anger.
On Wednesday, the government ordered 3,000 security officers to begin lifting the roadblocks by force. Thursday, as the operation got underway, explosions were reported near government buildings in La Paz, underscoring how rapidly the situation is deteriorating.
The Government Fights Back — and Sends in the Military
Paz has attempted multiple compromises. He abrogated the controversial land reform that originally sparked the crisis, offered to negotiate directly with protest representatives, and removed charges against two mobilization leaders. None of it has worked. With demonstrators now united behind a single demand — his resignation — Paz’s government moved to authorize military deployment to suppress the demonstrations, a legally and politically fraught step that drew immediate condemnation from international rights groups.
The administration has also framed the protests as a coup attempt backed by foreign interests, a narrative reinforced by Washington’s description of the mobilization. The government directly accused Morales of inciting the unrest, deepening a personal and political rift that has consumed Bolivian politics for years.
International Pressure and a Fraying Consensus
Bolivia’s crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of acute economic deterioration — fuel shortages, rising inflation, and a growing sense that the Paz government’s economic playbook has run out of road. Regional observers warn that the deployment of military forces against a mass popular mobilization carries the risk of a catastrophic bloodletting.
On the ground in Bolivia, the roadblock siege has already caused severe supply chain disruptions, with food, medicine, and fuel increasingly difficult to deliver to major cities. Hospitals in affected areas have reported critical shortages. The Morales camp shows no sign of stepping back; the government shows no sign of backing down. The collision course is set.
Diego Vargas
Diego Vargas covers Latin American politics, economics, and regional affairs from Bogota.