Bolivia experiences a day of tension due to national blockades and supply shortages
Bolivia is going through a critical situation due to road blockades that already affect six of the country's nine departments. The most affected regions are La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba, Potosí, Santa Cruz, and Chuquisaca. In Cochabamba, the passage to the east is completely interrupted in areas such as Huayllani and Colomi, forcing travelers to walk and seek alternative transportation to reach their destinations.
Given this situation, the national government seeks to establish a "humanitarian corridor." The objective is to allow trucks with food, medicine, and other essential supplies to reach the city of La Paz, where the lack of basic products is beginning to worry the population. Authorities are in dialogue with the groups maintaining the protests to reach this emergency agreement and avoid a greater shortage.
The crisis has also caused long lines at service stations in La Paz and El Alto. The state-owned company YPFB has urgently requested that the blockade at the Senkata plant be lifted to distribute fuel normally. Meanwhile, at Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, many people spend the night waiting to send food and parcels by plane to La Paz, given the impossibility of using land routes.
On the other hand, the Eastern Agricultural Chamber (CAO) has expressed its rejection of the social conflicts. Its president, Klaus Frerking, denounced what he called "union terrorism" and proposed holding a referendum to find solutions to the current crisis. In the political sphere, Minister Zamora revealed that the government is analyzing the creation of a new ministry dedicated exclusively to social sectors to directly promote development projects.
Amidst the mobilizations, legal and political incidents have been reported. Two people accused of beating a police officer at a cable car station in La Paz denied the charges; their defense claims they were not at the scene and were forced to participate in the marches. Additionally, the impact of the "Encounter with the Homeland" held on May 9 in Cochabamba was recalled, an event that once again placed important ideas for the country's unity at the center of the national debate.
Finally, the meteorological service announced the arrival of a new cold front that will affect several regions. Temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days, although experts rule out heavy snowfall or frost in the highest areas of the territory. The population is recommended to take precautions against the change in weather while efforts continue to normalize the transit situation on Bolivian highways.