Bolivia's Capital Endures a Month of Blockades as Shortages Deepen

La Paz has spent a month under blockade, with the main roads into Bolivia's administrative capital cut for four weeks and shortages of food and fuel worsening by the day. The crisis has run for 31 consecutive days without a resolution.

The disruption is extensive. Authorities reported 89 active blockade points across six departments, with key highways cut and the cities of La Paz and El Alto facing near-total paralysis from a transport strike and severe fuel shortages. The blockades began over fuel-supply problems and objections to a specific law before expanding into broader demands.

The protests have taken on a political character. Some residents demand the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz for failing to resolve the fuel crisis, and the president has warned that the situation is becoming unsustainable. Medicine shortages have added an urgent dimension to the standoff.

Bolivia's troubles are partly monetary. The fuel shortages reflect a scarcity of foreign currency needed to pay for imports, a problem caused by dwindling reserves and a fixed exchange rate that has become difficult to sustain. The blockades are a symptom of an underlying economic strain that goes beyond any single law.