Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz expelled Colombia’s ambassador on Wednesday, accusing Bogotá of interference, as protests over fuel shortages and inflation entered their third week. Four people have died and dozens more injured since the unrest began, Foreign Policy reported. The expulsion came after Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared a video calling Paz a “puppet of the USA and the Bolivian oligarchs.”
The diplomatic rupture followed days of escalating rhetoric between the two Andean nations. Bolivia’s foreign ministry said the expulsion of Ambassador Elizabeth García was necessary to “preserve the principles of sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs,” according to Foreign Policy. Petro fired back, claiming Bolivia was “sliding into extremism” and describing the protests as a “popular insurrection” in response to “geopolitical arrogance.”
Behind the diplomatic language lies a deeper crisis. Paz, a center-right president who took office just six months ago, promised “economic shock therapy” to tame inflation and end fuel shortages. His signature move was ending a 20-year fuel subsidy, arguing that market forces would bring higher-quality crude.
The opposite happened. Shortages persisted. Then came the discovery that millions of liters of imported fuel had been adulterated—producing what transport operators called “junk gasoline” that damaged their vehicles.
That discovery lit the fuse. Powerful unions, including transport workers, took to the streets. They demanded Paz’s resignation, higher wages, and a steady fuel supply.
Roadblocks went up. La Paz, whose name means peace, ground to a halt. The protests have paralyzed the capital and spread to other regions, Foreign Policy reported.
The human cost is mounting. Four people are dead—one demonstrator killed in clashes, three others because roadblocks prevented them from receiving medical care. Dozens more have been injured.
The numbers tell a grim story. But the political cost may be even higher. Paz holds a minority in parliament.
The protests have reinvigorated calls for former President Evo Morales to return to office. Morales, who led Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, remains a polarizing figure. He is believed to be hiding in the Chapare province to evade an arrest warrant for refusing to appear in court on charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a minor.
Morales denies the charges, calling them politically motivated. From hiding, Morales has been stoking the flames. “As long as structural demands—such as those concerning fuel, food and inflation—remain unaddressed, the uprising will not be quelled,” he wrote on X, as quoted by Foreign Policy. His words carry weight.
Many Bolivians remember his government’s social spending and fuel subsidies. Now, with those subsidies gone and fuel adulterated, his message resonates. The United States has weighed in.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the protests an “ongoing coup d’état” during a special session of the Organization of American States on Tuesday, a day before the ambassador’s expulsion. Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo used the same session to accuse demonstrators of “creating conditions for institutional destabilization, weakening the government … and disrupting the democratic order.”
That language matters. It frames the protests not as legitimate dissent but as an attack on democracy itself. But the framing cuts both ways.
Petro’s “popular insurrection” label legitimizes the protesters. The OAS session highlighted the regional divide: left-leaning governments see a people’s uprising; right-leaning ones see a coup. Paz’s early moves set the stage for this confrontation.
One of his first acts was restoring relations with the Trump administration, which had been strained under Morales. That decision now fuels Petro’s “puppet” narrative. It also places Bolivia at the center of a broader hemispheric struggle between left-wing populism and right-wing market reforms.
The economic toll extends beyond the streets. Bolivia’s economy was already reeling from years of mismanagement and falling gas exports. Inflation has eroded purchasing power.
The fuel crisis has disrupted transport and commerce. Now, political instability threatens to scare off investment just when the country needs it most. What this actually means for your family: higher prices, less fuel, and a government unable to guarantee basic services.
The policy says one thing. The reality says another. Paz promised shock therapy would bring stability.
Instead, it brought adulterated fuel and dead protesters. Both sides claim victory. Here are the numbers: four dead, dozens injured, one ambassador expelled, zero fuel subsidies, and a parliament where Paz lacks a majority.
The protests show no sign of ending. Morales, from hiding, continues to call for Paz’s ouster. The government, for its part, shows no sign of backing down on austerity.
The regional implications are already unfolding. Colombia’s Petro has positioned himself as a champion of the Bolivian protesters. His reposting of the video calling Paz a puppet was a deliberate provocation.
The expulsion of his ambassador raises the stakes. It also tests the limits of diplomatic norms in a region where ideological solidarity often trumps protocol. Why It Matters: A Bolivian president’s expulsion of a foreign ambassador over protest rhetoric sets a dangerous precedent for regional diplomacy.
If other leftist leaders follow Petro’s lead in openly backing anti-government movements, it could destabilize governments from Chile to Peru. For the United States, the crisis tests its commitment to democratic institutions versus its preference for market-friendly leaders. The protests also expose a deeper truth about austerity.
Ending fuel subsidies may make economic sense on paper. But when the promised benefits don’t materialize—when fuel is not only scarce but also adulterated—the social contract breaks. Bolivia is now a case study in how not to implement economic reform.
Key Takeaways: - Four deaths and dozens of injuries have resulted from two weeks of protests over fuel shortages and inflation. puppet. has labeled the protests a “coup d’état,” while leftist regional leaders call them a “popular insurrection.”
What comes next is uncertain. Paz’s minority government faces a hostile parliament and a resurgent Morales. The expulsion of Colombia’s ambassador could trigger further diplomatic fallout.
The OAS may take additional steps, but its influence is limited. The immediate question is whether Paz can survive politically. The longer-term question is whether Bolivia can avoid a full-blown constitutional crisis.
Watch for whether the military stays neutral—and whether Morales dares to leave his hiding place.
Key Takeaways
— - Four deaths and dozens of injuries have resulted from two weeks of protests over fuel shortages and inflation.
— - President Paz expelled Colombia's ambassador after President Petro shared a video calling him a U.S. puppet.
— - Former President Evo Morales, in hiding from sexual abuse charges, is using the crisis to call for Paz's resignation.
— - The U.S. has labeled the protests a 'coup d'état,' while leftist regional leaders call them a 'popular insurrection.'
Source: Foreign Policy
