Washington on Thursday expressed support for embattled Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, promising emergency assistance while warning against efforts to overthrow his government.
Paz is confronting nationwide protests and calls for his resignation.
In a phone call late Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Paz that Washington was “ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support” to help Bolivians facing “acute food and medical shortages” caused by roadblocks, a State Department spokesman said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth condemned “attempts to overthrow the legitimate government” of the center‑right leader.
“The United States is watching,” Hegseth wrote on X, pledging continued support for Paz “to ensure that narco‑terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere.”
Paz, a pro‑business conservative, took office a little over seven months ago after a historic election that ended two decades of left‑wing rule.
He quickly moved to restore ties with the United States and introduced sweeping economic reforms, including cutting fuel subsidies that had strained public finances. The measures sparked fierce backlash across Bolivia.
Facing pressure to resign, Paz said he had prepared legislation allowing the military to intervene in demonstrations and restore order.
On Wednesday in La Paz, thousands of Bolivians queued for hours to buy chicken, underscoring the severe shortages many families are enduring amid the protests.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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