Bolivian minister survives dynamite ambush amid deepening unrest

"Minister under attack: Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora was ambushed twice with dynamite while leading a humanitarian convoy to Oruro, forcing a retreat.
Paz’s restraint tested: President Rodrigo Paz insists on dialogue and non-lethal deployments, but warns patience may run out as protesters reject negotiations.

Nation deeply divided: Supporters and opponents of Paz are mobilizing across Bolivia, reflecting sharp polarization over whether the unrest is protest or coup.
Public anger erupted in Bolivia over economic reforms implemented by President Paz, which included the termination of fuel subsidies. These measures were introduced in a context where the country was already struggling from years of mismanagement under previous socialist governments.
Left-wing strikers in Bolivia have engaged in actions that have paralyzed the country. Their activities have significantly disrupted normal operations and contributed to the political crisis.
At least 45 blockades have been established across Bolivia, leading to deaths, shortages of oxygen, and scarcities of food.
Neighboring countries have provided limited humanitarian relief to Bolivia in response to shortages caused by the blockades. This assistance aims to alleviate the lack of essential supplies such as oxygen and food." 

msn

5.3 Earthquake - Departamento de Chuquisaca, 75 km northeast of Villamontes, Bolivia

"A strong magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit 75 km (47 mi) away from Villamontes, Departamento de Tarija, Bolivia, in the afternoon at 4.26 pm local time (America/La Paz GMT -4). The quake had a great depth of 547 km (340 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so)." VD

Bolivia is on the Brink of a Civil War and its Economy is Collapsing

"Bolivia has been on the brink of civil war for weeks. In recent months, the country has faced a coup. Two assassination attempts against Evo Morales. One of them involving 14 shots fired at his vehicle and a surge of street violence that looks more like Syria than a democracy. 

What's most alarming is that this isn't an isolated or short-lived episode. It's a symptom
of a deeper structural collapse.
Violence in Bolivia, five dead in clashes between police and Evo Morales supporters. The country is split in two. On one side, there's the government of Luis Ar, weakened, out of

fuel, short on dollars, and with no solutions, but still holding formal political power. On the other, there's Evo Morales, now a fugitive from justice, accused of pedophilia, human trafficking, and attempting a coup. Yet, he still controls the Chapar region as if it were his own personal stronghold. dug in against the law. The state doesn't enter there. EVO does, and they welcome him like a king. 

Meanwhile, outside that territory, the streets are on fire. Dynamite against police, buses set ablaze, blockades in key cities, and an economy that hasn't just stalled, it has collapsed. Inflation has climbed to nearly 25%. Foreign reserves are on the brink of running out, and the government is already printing unbacked money in a bid to survive. In just a decade, Bolivia has gone from being the economic miracle of South America to a failed state. And that's no exaggeration. In 2014, Bolivia had over 15 billion in reserves. Today, it barely tops 1.7 billion. The irony is that Bolivia had everything it needed to succeed. Gas, lithium, fertile land, and a young population. But it failed to use that wealth to lay the foundations of a strong economy." VEEN

Evo Morales Defies Ban, Launches Bold Bid for Bolivia’s Presidency

"Bolivia’s ex-President Evo Morales announced his candidacy for the August 17 elections, partnering with the Frente Para la Victoria (FPV), as reported by local outlets in Cochabamba.
The 65-year-old, who led from 2006 to 2019, ignites a fierce debate by challenging a

constitutional ban. He also dodges an arrest warrant tied to a scandal.
Yet, the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal’s 2023 ruling, upheld in 2024, caps presidential terms at two, blocking his third bid. Legal troubles deepen his gamble. Authorities pursue Morales for allegedly fathering a child with a 15-year-old in 2016, sparking trafficking and abuse charges.
He skips court hearings, prompting an arrest order, but loyalists in Chapare shield him as he vows to “save Bolivia” with FPV leader Eliseo Rodríguez. The MAS party, once Morales’ powerhouse, splits bitterly." RioTimes

Hezbollah Has Bases in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela

"Hezbollah and other Iranian radical groups have established bases in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Gur-Aryeh issued the warning in remarks during an online press conference with Nicaraguan journalists working in exile on the subject of Israel-Nicaraguan relations — organized by the Israeli Diplomatic Mission in Costa Rica after communist dictator Daniel Ortega recently ordered the rupture of Nicaragua’s diplomatic ties with Israel." 

Breitbart

Suspected leaders of failed Bolivian coup remanded in six-month custody

"Three former high-ranking military officers accused of leading a failed coup in Bolivia earlier this week face up to 20 years in prison on charges of armed uprising and terrorism, the nation’s top prosecutor said. The officers will be detained in a high-security prison outside the capital La Paz until the trial. A total of 21 active, retired and civilian military personnel were arrested in connection with Wednesday's attempted coup, in which troops and tanks were deployed in the heart of the capital, where they tried to break down a door of the presidential palace." France24

Hamas Praises Colombia's Breaking Relations With Israel, Urges All Of Latin America To Follow

"Hamas is praising the government of Colombia and its leftist president Gustavo Petro for on Thursday formally cutting diplomatic ties with Israel after accusing its military of genocide against the Palestinian people.

A Hamas statement the same day hailed it as a "recognition of the suffering of Palestinian people" and further urged more Latin American countries to follow suit. Bolivia was the first to do so earlier in the nearly 7-month long conflict." ZH

Former US ambassador accused of serving as an agent of Cuba arrested in Florida

"A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government, the Associated Press has learned.
Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami.....Rocha’s wife, Karla Wittkop Rocha, would not comment when contacted by the AP. “I don’t need to talk to you,” she said before hanging up." MS

Latin America Is Running Out of Water

"Traffic through the Panama Canal is nearly half-capacity these days. Normally, 40 ships take the world’s greatest shortcut through its locks each day. Last week, the Canal Authority reduced daily passages to 25, while predicting further cuts to 18 by February. The immediate cause is Panama’s driest October since recordkeeping began in 1950. Panama

is not the only Latin American country currently facing water scarcity. To the contrary, the entire region is in the grips of a dry spell. A historic drought is ravaging Brazil's Amazon, with a record 3,858 fires ripping through the state of Amazonas this month. With their “river highway” drained, riverine communities face emergency-level shortages in food, medicine and drinking water, while endangered river dolphins and other species are dying en masse. Meanwhile, farmers from the Dominican Republic to Argentina are reporting millions of dollars in crop losses. The Dominican Republic sealed its border with Haiti over a water dispute. Mexico City is rationing water due to reservoirs at historic lows at the end of what is supposed to be its rainy season. Water supplies stored in the glaciers of the Andes are receding, reducing their ability to replenish drainage basins and aquifers with meltwater during warmer, drier months, leading western Bolivia to ration water. Central Chile is buckling under 14 years of consecutive drought, which analysts have taken to calling a “mega drought.” Warmer surface waters block upwelling of nutrient-rich, cold waters from the ocean’s depths. Fewer nitrates and phosphates reach the surface, reducing the phytoplankton population. That in turn ripples up the food chain. Fish stocks plummet as species die or migrate, wreaking havoc on communities that depend on them for their livelihoods." MS

Bolivia's government breaks diplomatic ties with Israel

"Bolivia's government said it had broken diplomatic ties with Israel due to its attacks on the

Gaza Strip, while neighbors Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the Middle Eastern nation for consultations." MS

Why Are US Military Personnel Heading To Peru?

"The goal of the operation is to provide “support and assistance to the Special Operations of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and National Police of Peru,” including in regions recently engulfed in violence. The plenary session of Peru’s Congress last Thursday (May 18) authorised the entry of US troops onto Peruvian soil with the purpose of carrying out “cooperation activities” with Peru’s armed forces and national police. Passed with 70 votes in favor, 33 against and four abstentions, resolution 4766 stipulates that the troops are welcome to stay any time between June 1 and December 31, 2023.

The protesters’ demands included:

. The protesters’ demands included:

• The release of Castillo
• New elections
• A national referendum on forming a Constitutional Assembly to replace Peru’s current constitution, which was imposed by former President Alberto Fujimori following his self-imposed coup of 199

Peru is currently under the control of an unelected government that is heavily supported by Washington but overwhelmingly rejected by the Peruvian people. The crackdown on protests in the south of the Peru by the country’s security forces — the same security forces that US military personnel will soon be joining — has led to dozens of deaths.

EU and US interest in Latin America is rising rapidly as the race for lithium, copper, cobalt and other elements essential for the so-called “clean” energy transition heats up. It is a race that China has been winning pretty handily up until now.

Peru is not only one of China’s biggest trade partners in Latin America; it is home to the only port in Latin America that is managed entirely by Chinese capital. And while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate, it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world. It is also the world’s second largest producer of copper, zinc and silver, three metals that are also expected to play a major role in supporting renewable energy technologies. Ecuador, is undergoing a major political crisis that is likely to spell the end of the US-aligned Guillermo Lasso government and a handover of power to Rafael Correa’s party and its allies.

And the US government and military have made no secret of their interest in the mineral deposits that countries like Peru hold in their subsoil. In an address to the Washington-based Atlantic Council on Jan 19, Gen. Laura Richardson, head of the U.S. Southern Command, spoke gushingly of Latin America’s rich deposits of “rare earth elements,” “the lithium triangle — Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,” the “largest oil reserves [and] light, sweet crude discovered off Guyana,” Venezuela’s “oil, copper, gold” and the fact that Latin America is home to “31% of the world’s fresh water in this region.” ZH