Bolivia rocked by protests as US warns of coup d'etat'

Protests blocking roads across Bolivia and fighting in central La Paz have continued for a second week, marking the most turbulent period of President Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s six months in office. The unrest follows his move to restore relations with the United States, which describes the uprisings as an ongoing coup d’état. Bolivia also triggered a diplomatic crisis by ordering the immediate expulsion of Colombia’s ambassador in La Paz after remarks by Colombia’s leftwing president Gustavo Petro. Petro reposted a video alleging Paz Pereira is a US puppet and said Bolivia is experiencing a popular insurrection. Bolivia’s foreign ministry cited sovereignty and non-interference. The protests have caused four deaths, dozens of injuries, and more than 40 road blockades, while the US deputy secretary of state said the events are a coup financed by an alliance between politics and organised crime.

"Protests blocking roads across Bolivia and turning the centre of the capital, La Paz, into a battleground between demonstrators and police have entered a second week. It is the most turbulent moment of the centre-right president Rodrigo Paz Pereira's mere six months in office since he ended nearly two decades of rule by the leftwing Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas). One of the former senator's first moves was to restore relations with the United States, which now describes the uprisings as an ongoing coup d'etat against Paz Pereira."

"Alongside the domestic unrest, Bolivia's president has triggered a diplomatic crisis after ordering the immediate expulsion of Colombia's ambassador in La Paz on Wednesday, in retaliation for remarks by Colombia's leftwing president, Gustavo Petro. Last Sunday, Petro reposted a video claiming that Paz Pereira was a puppet of the US and commented that Bolivia was experiencing a popular insurrection that was the response to geopolitical arrogance. Announcing ambassador Elizabeth Garcia's expulsion on Wednesday, Bolivia's foreign ministry said the decision was intended to preserve the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs."

"The protests have so far caused four deaths one demonstrator reportedly killed in clashes and three others reportedly because roadblocks prevented them from receiving proper medical treatment as well as dozens of injuries and more than 40 road blockades across the country on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the US deputy secretary of state, Christopher Landau, claimed that the protests were an ongoing coup d'etat. Speaking in Washington, Landau said: Let us not make any mistake about that; it is a coup financed by this perverse alliance between politics and organised crime across the region."

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