Bolivia: Strikes likely to continue in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba departments through late November /update 3

Event

Protests and strikes associated with opposition-aligned groups, including Pro Santa Cruz Committee (Comite Pro Santa Cruz) and the National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Comite Nacional de Defensa de la Democracia, Conade), are likely to continue to severely affect Santa Cruz and Cochabamba departments through at least late November.

In Santa Cruz Department, adherents of the strikes have organized protests and highway blockades, while transport workers opposed to the strike have set up roadblocks around Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the departmental capital, cutting it off from the rest of the department. Agricultural workers who are opposed to the strike joined the transport workers beginning Oct. 26 in an effort to bring commercial activity in Santa Cruz de la Sierra to a halt. In Cochabamba, Cochabamba Department, opposition protesters have clashed with police, who deployed pepper spray and tear gas on Nov. 11.

Furthermore, the border between Santa Cruz Department and Brazil's Mato Grosso State remains closed as of Nov. 9 following strike-related clashes near the border that left at least one person dead. The closure has affected business operations on both sides of the border.

Additional protests, such as roadblocks and rallies near border crossings, are likely during the labor action. Further transport and business disruptions are almost certain. A police presence is likely to be deployed at demonstration sites. Clashes are likely, especially if police try to disperse protesters and reopen blocked roads, or if supporters and opponents of the strike are allowed to come in proximity to each other.

Context

The purpose of the strike is to demand that a national census be taken earlier than the government's current plan for a census in mid-2024; the Pro Santa Cruz Committee, as well as the government of the Santa Cruz Department and other regional entities, believe the delay in the national census is detrimental to the region. The census was originally scheduled for November 2022. The government's recent announcement that it continues to plan for a census in 2024 will give opposition groups an incentive to continue or intensify their protests.

Advice

Avoid all protests as a precaution. Allow additional transport time. Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks; wait for the police to clear them instead. If violence occurs, immediately leave the area and seek shelter in a nongovernmental building. Heed the instructions of security personnel. Reconfirm the status of border crossings before departure.