Washington pledges emergency aid to Bolivia as unrest over fuel cuts deepens
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth back the Bolivian government amid acute shortages and nationwide protests triggered by subsidy reforms.
The United States has formally pledged emergency assistance to Bolivia, offering logistical support to President Rodrigo Paz as the South American nation grapples with paralyzing nationwide protests and severe supply chain disruptions. Washington’s intervention comes as the Paz administration faces mounting pressure to resign, with widespread roadblocks exacerbating acute food and medical shortages across the country.
In a late Thursday phone call, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured the Bolivian president that Washington was “ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support.” According to a State Department spokesman, the aid is intended to address the immediate humanitarian crisis caused by protest blockades, which have severely restricted the movement of essential goods.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also weighed in, condemning efforts to overthrow the “legitimate government” of the centre-right leader. Posting on X, Hegseth stated that “the United States is watching” and pledged continued support to ensure that “narco-terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere.” The reference to narco-terrorism underscores the security dimension of the diplomatic backing, although the specific nature of such threats remains asserted by US officials rather than independently verified in available reports.
The unrest follows Paz’s decision to cut fuel subsidies, a move that has ravaged public finances and triggered fierce backlash from a population already strained by economic reforms. Since entering office seven months ago following a landmark election that ended two decades of hard-left rule, the pro-business conservative has moved quickly to restore severed relations with the United States and implement sweeping economic changes.
Facing demands to step down, Paz has prepared a bill to empower the military to tackle demonstrations and restore order. The severity of the situation was underscored on Wednesday in La Paz, where thousands of Bolivians queued for hours to purchase basic items such as chicken, highlighting the depth of the shortages affecting families nationwide.
