ACTIVE ROADBLOCKS IN BOLIVIA DROP SHARPLY AFTER STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION. (PHOTO).

 Active roadblocks in Bolivia drop sharply after state of emergency declaration

Bolivia started the week with just 11 active roadblocks remaining across its national highway network, marking a dramatic decline from the dozens of barricades that had choked off transportation and domestic commerce for more than 50 days.

The widespread reopening of the nation's primary transit routes followed a Saturday declaration of a state of emergency by President Rodrigo Paz in response to escalating domestic unrest. Normal vehicle traffic and the distribution of essential commodities have begun to steadily resume across the country after a coordinated mobilization of the Bolivian National Police and the Armed Forces dismantled a network of more than 50 critical blockades that had pushed the country to the brink of a severe economic and logistical crisis. The emergency executive decree, which received backing from the Legislative Assembly, temporarily empowered military forces to assist law enforcement in restoring public order and securing the freedom of movement.

In heavily affected regions, including El Alto and key arterial roads leading into La Paz, security personnel deployed heavy machinery and excavators to shift tons of dirt, rocks, and debris abandoned on the asphalt. Beyond the use of force, diplomatic talks played a pivotal role in clearing the routes. Alongside the strict security protocols, administration officials brokered a successful pacification treaty with the Bolivian Workers' Center, the nation's largest labor union coalition.

Officials also noted the peaceful resolution of a 38-day blockade in the economically vital municipality of San Julián, located in the eastern department of Santa Cruz. However, resistance remains active in several traditional protest strongholds. The remaining 11 blockades are situated mostly within the Tropic of Cochabamba region, as well as specific sectors of Oruro and La Paz. These holdouts are organized by coca growers' syndicates alongside Indigenous and rural farming collectives allied with former President Evo Morales. These factions have denounced the emergency decree as an act of state repression and are maintaining their positions to press distinct political demands against the sitting administration.

Minor skirmishes occurred during the clearing operations, with security forces utilizing chemical crowd-control agents in high-friction zones such as the Río Seco district of El Alto and the highways connecting to Laja. In these areas, demonstrators attempted to reconstruct barriers and engaged in heated standoffs with the joint police and military units.

Following the deployments, Bolivia’s Ombudsman’s Office enacted a nationwide monitoring strategy. The independent oversight body confirmed that the vast majority of the blockades were cleared without resorting to violent measures. With the primary transit corridors finally unblocked, hundreds of stranded fuel tankers and commercial trucks laden with food and medical supplies have begun flooding into major urban centers as part of an urgent logistical push to reverse the economic fallout from the protracted standoff.