New Blockades Erupt at Four Points in Santa Cruz Over Diesel Decree

Producers and social organizations installed blockades before dawn at San Julián, Yapacaní, Cuatro Cañadas and Los Troncos in Santa Cruz department, cutting the Santa Cruz–Beni highway, the route to the Chiquitanía, and the Yapacaní–Cochabamba road. The action, agreed at a weekend assembly for an initial 24 hours, again targeted Supreme Decree 5676's Bs 18/liter diesel price for large consumers; Santa Cruz's Terminal Bimodal suspended most departures to Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro and Beni as a result. Police mobilized tactical and riot units toward the blockade points but had not moved to clear them as of this update; some organizers broadened their demands to include President Paz's resignation.