Truckers trapped in road blockades cry for help

Thousands of Bolivian truck drivers remain stranded on highways, facing dire conditions for over six weeks due to ongoing blockades. Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, leaving drivers without access to food, medicine, and basic services. The situation has become critical, prompting calls for urgent intervention.

More than 5,000 heavy cargo drivers are among the most affected. Since early May, these truckers have been transporting export and import goods. While blockades persist in five of the country's nine regions, the Sayari area, on the road between Cochabamba and Oruro, is particularly critical. Located at over 4,000 meters altitude, it experiences sub-zero temperatures during winter.

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Our conditions are inhumane, we have no medicine or food. We are kidnapped by the blockers.

One stranded driver, Víctor Garvizu, described their situation as "inhumane," lacking medicine and food, and feeling "kidnapped by the blockers." Drivers are forced to boil water from a stream to avoid illness and organize in small groups to find food. In response, transport sector representatives organized a protest caravan in Cochabamba, displaying Bolivian flags and banners demanding the unblocking of roads and respect for the right to work.

Humanitarian efforts are underway, with the Ombudsman's Office, the Red Cross, and Caritas launching a convoy to deliver food and medicine to approximately 600 truckers trapped in the high-altitude blockades. The road blockades began on May 6, initiated by peasant federations and labor unions, who are demanding President Paz's resignation.

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The sector demands the liberation of routes so that our colleagues stranded can work.