The convoy of Bolivia’s public works minister was ambushed by protesters, and he briefly disappeared while overseeing the clearing of roadblocks on Saturday. Mauricio Zamora’s vehicle was intercepted in the town of Copata on Saturday afternoon and became separated from his group, according to local media reports. He was later located and is now safe.
Zamora had been in command of an operation to clear barriers set up by anti-government protesters. These roadblocks were aimed at slowing the flow of goods into the administrative capital, La Paz, and the nearby city of El Alto. The mission to create so-called “humanitarian corridors” was met with renewed violence from demonstrators, with some convoys reportedly attacked with stones and dynamite.
Marches, protests, and roadblocks by trade unions and supporters of former left-wing President Evo Morales have intensified this week, leading to clashes with security forces in La Paz. The demonstrators are seeking to pressure Bolivia’s center-right President Rodrigo Paz to resign just six months after taking office, citing his government’s austerity measures and its alignment with the United States as divisive issues.
Bolivia’s police and military were dispatched from major cities in the early hours of Saturday morning to clear the roadblocks, deploying bulldozers to remove rocks and concrete pillars, with the aim of easing the flow of food and medicine into the capital. However, in several locations, clashes with protesters broke out, and roadblocks were re-established.
Zamora’s convoy was traveling through Copata, south of La Paz, when residents began pelting it with stones and dynamite, local media reported. His vehicle became separated from the others as they retreated but was able to take a dirt road. According to Agencia Noticias Fides, it suffered a second ambush there before eventually being able to reunite with the convoy.
Elsewhere, protesters looted and burned down a customs post in Achicha Arriba, on the highway into El Alto, after police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators. The government denied reports – which were repeated by Morales – that a person had been killed in the town of Vilaque, on the same highway. Several outlets also reported that journalists covering the operation came under attack.
Paz was elected on a promise to end Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in decades. However, his decision to scrap long-standing fuel subsidies amid shortages and inflation has raised living costs and angered a significant portion of the population. Morales – who is currently being protected by supporters while facing criminal allegations of having a relationship with a minor during his presidency – has supported the protests, having long opposed US involvement in Latin America. Paz’s government accuses him of instigating the unrest.
The center-right leader stated he was exploring every avenue of dialogue with the demonstrators but told Argentine news outlet Todo Noticias on Saturday: “Everything has a limit.”
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