U.S., Latin America Bloc Slam Drug-Funded Plot to Topple Bolivia

(MENAFN) The United States and a dozen Latin American nations issued a forceful joint condemnation Friday, accusing drug traffickers and criminal networks of bankrolling a coordinated campaign to bring down Bolivia's democratically elected government — as street protests continue to paralyze the Andean nation amid its worst economic crisis in four decades.

"The member countries of Shield of the Americas denounce ongoing efforts to overthrow the legitimately and overwhelmingly elected government of President Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia," declared a statement released by the U.S. State Department on behalf of 13 nations, including Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Panama.

The bloc pulled no punches in defending the democratic process.

"Mob rule cannot replace the decision that a majority of Bolivians made at the ballot box to turn the page on two decades of corrupt governments," it said.

The signatories further alleged that protest organizers had deployed "fake road blockades" to choke off the delivery of food, medicine, and other essential supplies to the Bolivian population — a tactic they described as a deliberate act of economic warfare against ordinary citizens.

"Those who are funding these protests with dirty money from drug trafficking and transnational crime should be held accountable," the statement warned.

The Shield of the Americas alliance urged those with genuine grievances to "take advantage of the government's willingness to dialogue, and denounce those who would abuse their causes to regain power."

Bogotá's regional rebuke was warmly received in La Paz. The Bolivian Foreign Ministry acknowledged the multilateral support in a post on X.

"Bolivia thanks the expressions of support and solidarity from the Shield of the Americas, which reaffirm the non-negotiable value of democracy and institutional stability in our region," the ministry said.

The diplomatic show of solidarity comes as Bolivia's political crisis deepens. Two cabinet ministers — the defense and education secretaries — resigned Tuesday following weeks of sustained anti-government demonstrations demanding President Paz step down. Workers, farmers, miners, transport operators, and teachers have taken to the streets, demanding emergency action to address an economic meltdown widely described as the country's most severe in 40 years.

The Paz administration has squarely blamed supporters of former President Evo Morales — who is currently subject to an arrest warrant — for orchestrating the violence and unrest. Morales himself has called on the government to convene elections within 90 days as a path out of the political impasse.

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