Bolivia enters 36th day of protests as US pledges support to Paz and arrests of leaders mount
Bolivia reached its 36th day of anti-government protests, with the Bolivian Highway Administration registering 81 roadblocks across La Paz, Cochabamba, Potosí, Oruro, Santa Cruz and Chuquisaca, causing acute shortages of food, fuel and medicine and blamed for 11 deaths. Authorities arrested protest leaders—including former MAS senator Simone Quispe and neighborhood and campesino federation officials—on terrorism and incitement charges, prompting social organizations to denounce the detentions as 'kidnappings.' President Rodrigo Paz accused former president Evo Morales of manipulating the social conflict to escape his own judicial proceedings, while calling protest leaders to dialogue and overseeing a joint military-police operation to unblock the Río Abajo agricultural zone. Meanwhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio phoned Paz to reaffirm 'unwavering' support and pledge emergency and logistical assistance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the Pentagon and the 'Shield of the Americas' alliance reject any attempt to overthrow Paz.
Why it matters
Paz's right-leaning government took office only six months ago, ending nearly two decades of MAS socialist rule, and rapidly restored ties with Washington after a 17-year rupture by joining Trump's regional security bloc—making this crisis a test of that realignment. Strong US backing, including military and logistical involvement, marks a sharp reversal of Bolivia's foreign policy and risks deepening domestic polarization between Paz's coalition and Morales-aligned social movements. The standoff over fuel, land law and Morales's pending arrest could determine whether Bolivia's fragile new order stabilizes or slides toward broader unrest.