LatinNews Daily - 15 June 2026

Bolivia: On 5 June the member countries of the Shield of the Americas, a US-led security initiative comprising right-of-centre regional governments, issued a joint statement denouncing “ongoing efforts to overthrow the legitimately and overwhelmingly elected government of President Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia.” The statement, published by the US State Department alongside the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago, declared “we stand with Paz’s democratic government as it fights back against attempts to drag Bolivia backwards through cynical efforts to prevent the delivery of food, medicine and other vital supplies to the Bolivian people through fake road blockades. Mob rule cannot replace the decision that a majority of Bolivians made at the ballot box to turn the page on two decades of corrupt governments.” This comes amid anti-government protests in Bolivia, particularly concentrated in the capital La Paz, which have been ongoing since last month. These were initially sparked by transport workers demanding compensation over damage caused by contaminated fuel, while farmers also protested over a controversial agrarian reform. These protests have now escalated into a more coordinated effort aimed at forcing Paz’s resignation, which is backed by former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) and the umbrella workers’ union Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), with roadblocks being established across the city. This is not the first time that Shield of the Americas members have come out in support of Paz during this crisis. On 21 May, a similarly worded statement alleged that efforts to overthrow Paz were supported by “criminals and drug traffickers”. This framing is in keeping with one of the coalition’s core principles, established at the inaugural summit on 7 March in Florida, where a commitment to the use of lethal military force against drug cartels was established.

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