LATEST: Bolivia reached the 50th day of protests with an agreement that does not guarantee the end of the battle
Latest Developments:
Global attention remains focused on this evolving story as officials and analysts assess the broader implications.
After seven weeks of conflict, the Government of Rodrigo Paz and the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) signed an agreement this Friday, June 19, to pacify the country. The pact was sealed at the Government House, in La Paz, with the signature of the president himself and that of the top leader of the plant, the miner Mario Argollo, and began to unblock a conflict that kept the Executive headquarters surrounded. “From this moment on, pressure measures are being lifted at the national level,” Argollo announced to the media after the signing, and assured that the Government promised to immediately comply with what was signed. The agreement came after a closed-door meeting between a union delegation and five ministers, after a week of tug-of-war in which the issue of those detained during the protests had become the main obstacle. The COB demanded the freedom of the protesters as a condition for moving forward, while the Executive resisted granting a general amnesty. A divided protest The pact, however, does not extinguish the conflict. The Departmental Federation of Peasants of La Paz, which has been leading the blockades since May 6, did not join the pact, and sectors related to former President Evo Morales ruled out sitting down for dialogue. Their underlying demand persists: that Paz resign. While the COB begins to lift its measures, these groups continue with the roadblocks that still hit the country. The agreement with the labor union, the largest union organization in Bolivia, clears part of the board, but the hardest sectors of the mobilization do not give in. The peasant sectors close to Evo Morales, whom the ruling party accuses of encouraging the protests, maintain their own statement and distrust the negotiation. Its leader Vicente Salazar questioned the credibility of the COB for sitting down to negotiate with the Government and demanded a presidential amnesty for the detainees. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry Cover image: Bolivian women demonstrate against the economic measures of the Government of Rodrigo Paz in La Paz, Bolivia, on May 22, 2026. AP Photo/Juan Karita – Juan Karita Read also Violence takes over Bolivia: dozens of injured, including police, in an attempt to unblock From a land law to the request for resignation The revolt began at the beginning of May, when the COB, the Federation of Peasants of Tupac Katari and other sectors began indefinite blockades in the department of La Paz. The trigger was the promulgation of Law 1720, which allowed small rural property to be used as collateral for bank loans, but which Paz annulled a few days later. By then the claim had already changed. Added to the economic demands was a political slogan that united a large part of those mobilized: the resignation of the president, in power since October after almost two decades of hegemony of the Movement towards Socialism. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: © France 24 The background to the conflict is the worst economic crisis that the country is going through in a long time. The fall in gas production, the shortage of dollars and the lack of fuel eroded purchasing power and increased social unrest that ended up spilling onto the roads. Hospitals in emergency and closed routes The cost of the 50 days of blockades is felt with increasing rigor in daily life. Read alsoCoca leaf prices fall due to blockades in Bolivia La Paz and El Alto were almost completely surrounded, with businesses closed and routes blocked even for medical emergencies. The department’s hospitals declared themselves in emergency due to the lack of oxygen, medicines and food. Deaths linked to the cuts were recorded, including people who were unable to receive medical attention in time. The paralysis also hit exports, especially mining, one of the few sources of foreign currency the country has left. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry Cover image: © France 24 Read alsoBlockades in Bolivia: Peace enacts law on states of exception Bolivia aims to “replace” ambassadors with Colombia The Peace Government will seek to restore ambassadors with Colombia once the results of the second presidential round that will be contested this Sunday, June 21, by the leftist Iván Cepeda and the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella are known, the Bolivian Foreign Minister, Fernando, reported this Friday Aramayo. “The moment the (Colombian) Government is reconfigured, when we have the result (of the second round) and when we have a new Minister of Foreign Affairs, we are going to extend our hand to Colombia to replace ambassadors,” declared Aramayo during a meeting with international media, in La Paz. Left: Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks at a press conference at the Colombian embassy in Washington, Tuesday, February 3, 2026 (Jose Luis Magana – AP). On the right: the Bolivian president, Rodrigo Paz, offers a press conference at the Government Palace in La Paz, Bolivia, on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Juan Karita – AP) © Montaje de France 24 The minister indicated that when the new Colombian Government is known, the Peace Administration will propose “a respectful relationship” of Bolivia’s sovereignty and “diplomatic channels and mechanisms” when it is appropriate to express opinions regarding issues of the two countries. “We are countries that share a history of twinning, friendly, economic-commercial, and cultural relations. We are eager to be able to quickly open our arms to the Government that is reconfigured, resulting from this electoral process that we have been experiencing,” he added. Bolivia expelled the Colombian ambassador, Elizabeth García, on May 20 for considering “interference” the statements of the president of that country, Gustavo Petro, who described the protests and road blockades of sectors demanding Paz’s resignation as a “popular insurrection.” With EFE and local media
International Perspective:
Experts suggest the long-term impact of these developments may become clearer as more information emerges.
International media coverage is expected to intensify as more updates become available from official sources.
Follow our coverage for more global news and international analysis.
Source: This article was originally published by France 24 – Noticias y actualidad internacional en vivo and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.