Description: Anti – government protests in Bolivia have intensified in the past week, with farmers, miners, teachers and other union workers calling for President Rodrigo Paz’s resignation. More than 100 blockades have been assembled in the cities of La Paz and El Alto which caused medicine and food shortages, while riot police intensified anti – demonstration operations. The protesters have called for economic improvement and the return of the fuel subsidies which President Paz cut short a month ago. In Bolivia’s rural areas, civil militia groups have started to appear, with undisclosed amount of arms, financial and operational capabilities who demand Paz’s immediate resignation and threaten further escalation. The government claims the protests are organized by political opposition groups, primarily, former President Evo Morales, who is in hiding due to criminal charges for sexually assaulting a minor. Bolivia’s Parliament has reportedly passed a bill authorizing the military to assist the police force in quelling the demonstrations.
Impact: President Paz’s reiteration towards cracking down the civil unrest would most likely prolong the political and economic crisis in the country in the short to mid – term. The emergence of civil militias in Bolivia’s rural region would highly likely further complicate the threat portfolio of the country while the inclusion of the military in counteracting the protest movement would fuel further civic unrest. The economic conditions are undoubtedly not improving while global factors, such as the war in Iran are likely to cause further deterioration of Bolivia’s national economic capacities that would affect the majority of the population. The country is likely facing a high level of instability in the short to mid – term period, with the potential for domestic armed insurgencies rising as the protests continue to escalate.