Bolivia Crisis Deepens as President Paz Authorizes Military Force Against Protesters

President Rodrigo Paz has signed legislation authorizing the Bolivian military to use force to clear road blockades, escalating a 40-day nationwide protest movement that has triggered severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and oxygen in La Paz and El Alto.

The protests, led by miners, teachers, transport workers, farmers, and Indigenous groups, have paralyzed major supply routes with up to 100 roadblocks. At least 10 people have died and 37 others have been injured, with some fatalities linked to blocked access to hospitals. Hundreds have been arrested amid clashes involving stones, dynamite, and tear gas.

Paz, a center-right Christian Democrat who took office in November 2025 after defeating candidates from the long-ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS), has faced growing backlash over economic reforms including fuel subsidy cuts and a now-annulled land mortgage law. Protesters accuse his government of favoring business elites and betraying working-class and rural supporters. Many now demand his resignation and early elections, with former President Evo Morales joining the demonstrations.

The new law, passed by the legislature on June 7-8 and signed by Paz, repeals 2020 restrictions on military involvement in domestic unrest. It grants troops legal protections when clearing blockades. Paz has described some protesters as “narcoterrorists” while promising humanitarian corridors for essential goods. He has so far stopped short of declaring a full state of emergency.

The crisis has left markets empty, gas stations shuttered, and hospitals rationing supplies. Daily economic losses are estimated in the millions. Counter-protesters, including affected shopkeepers, have clashed with blockaders in several areas.

The unrest highlights Bolivia’s deep political divide between pro-business urban sectors and rural/Indigenous movements empowered under nearly two decades of MAS rule. International reactions have split along ideological lines, with the U.S. and some regional allies backing Paz’s government.