Bolivia declares emergency, troops to clear blockades

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a nationwide state of emergency on Saturday, June 20, 2026, authorizing the deployment of military forces to clear crippling road blockades after nearly two months of protests over economic hardship. The decree, announced in a televised address, aims to restore order and reopen supply routes as shortages of food, fuel, and medicine grip parts of the country, including the capital, La Paz.

The emergency declaration grants the government broader constitutional powers to restore public order, specifically to send armed forces to dismantle blockades and ensure the flow of essential goods. President Paz stated the measures were necessary to return the country to normalcy, arguing that Bolivians could not continue to be held hostage by disruptions preventing work, education, and healthcare. He warned that those continuing the disruptions would face legal consequences.

The move came just hours after the government unveiled a deal struck on Friday with the country's main union, the Bolivian Workers Confederation (COB), which was intended to ease tensions. Despite that agreement, protests and blockades persisted, leading Paz to declare that the...