US throws support behind Bolivia's president as unrest grows

Washington on Thursday threw its support behind embattled Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, offering emergency assistance while warning against attempts to topple the government.

Paz is facing paralyzing country-wide protests and calls for his resignation.

In a phone call late Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Paz that Washington was "ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support" to help Bolivians dealing with "acute food and medical shortages" due to roadblocks, according to a State Department spokesman.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denounced "attempts to overthrow the legitimate government" of center-right Paz.

"The United States is watching," Hegseth wrote on X. He pledged continued support for Paz "to ensure that narco-terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere."

Paz, a pro-business conservative, entered office a little over seven months ago after a landmark election that ended two decades of hard left rule.

He moved quickly to restore severed relations with the United States and introduced sweeping economic reforms, including cutting fuel subsidies that ravaged public finances. But fierce backlash boiled over across Bolivia.

Facing demands to step down, Paz said he had prepared a bill that would empower the military to tackle demonstrations and restore order.

On Wednesday in La Paz, thousands of Bolivians queued for hours to buy chicken, a stark sign of how much families are struggling with shortages that have been worsened by protests.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)