Bolivia ends 53‑day road blockades, restores traffic and supplies

President Rodrigo Paz announced on Tuesday that the road blockades that had paralysed Bolivia for 53 days have been defeated and that all main highways are now open. He said the state of exception will remain in force to ensure order as the country moves toward reconstruction.

The protests, led by farmer and indigenous groups demanding Paz’s resignation, caused severe shortages of food, fuel and medical oxygen, drove up prices and generated economic losses estimated at over $3 billion, including a $520 million impact on La Paz. With the routes cleared, trucks have resumed deliveries and market prices for staples such as eggs and chicken have begun to fall.

The Organization of American States condemned the blockades, calling the closure of roads a crime, and pledged to send a mission to assess the situation. The United States deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau, speaking at an OAS gathering, reaffirmed U.S. support for Bolivia’s constitutionally elected government, saying “what the people elect cannot be undone in the streets.” Fifteen other American countries issued a joint statement echoing the same stance.

Bolivia’s National Association of Medium‑Scale Miners called for a rapid pacification to protect jobs and revive the economy, while the government announced legal actions against organizers, naming former president Evo Morales and other leaders as subjects of criminal investigations.