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Kilometer-long queues and days of waiting for gasoline amid Bolivia's blockades
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Kilometer-long queues and days of waiting for gasoline amid Bolivia's blockades

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Bolivia faces severe fuel shortages, causing kilometer-long queues at gas stations due to ongoing road blockades.
  • Drivers are sleeping in their vehicles for days, enduring uncertainty as they await fuel deliveries.
  • Protests demanding President Rodrigo Paz's resignation are intensifying, exacerbated by the scarcity and driver exhaustion.

La Paz, Bolivia – Kilometer-long lines of vehicles snake through La Paz as drivers sleep in their cars for days, some improvising tents, in a desperate wait for fuel. Six weeks of road blockades across Bolivia have crippled fuel supplies, leading to growing tensions and widespread exhaustion.

The strategic highway connecting La Paz and El Alto is choked with hundreds of vehicles, including buses and trucks. Drivers have resorted to burning tires on the road, demanding the fuel necessary to resume their work. "We are tired of this government doing nothing," said Jorge, a driver who asked not to be fully identified. "The head of (state oil company) YPFB doesn't say if there's gasoline or not. We've been sleeping here many nights."

We are tired of this government doing nothing. The head of (state oil company) YPFB doesn't say if there's gasoline or not. We've been sleeping here many nights.

— JorgeA driver expresses his frustration and exhaustion with the ongoing fuel crisis and government inaction.

These blockades are fueled not only by drivers seeking gasoline but also by protesters demanding the resignation of President Paz, supported by the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB) and peasant unions. The uncertainty weighs heavily on drivers, who worry about leaving their families for extended periods.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I think I'll go straight home to sign the divorce papers.

— Fidel PazA school bus driver illustrates the extreme duration of his wait for fuel, highlighting the personal toll of the shortage.

Fidel Paz, a school bus driver, has been in line since Friday morning. "Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I think I'll go straight home to sign the divorce papers," he quipped. School classes have moved online due to the transportation fuel shortage.

Amidst the crisis, the government is considering a state of exception. "We have to wait for the state of exception to be applied. There is no other way out," stated lawyer Benjamín Torres, who is also waiting in line. He believes the conflict stems from President Paz's failure to include union leaders in his government, a practice common in previous administrations.

We have to wait for the state of exception to be applied. There is no other way out.

— Benjamín TorresA lawyer suggests a state of exception as the only potential solution to the escalating crisis.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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