Paraguay humanitarian aid flights arrive in Bolivia as blockades deepen shortages
Two humanitarian aid flights from Paraguay arrived in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department on Friday, bringing food supplies to help ease shortages caused by weeks of road blockades across the country.
Footage from Viru Viru International Airport showed military personnel unloading boxes of supplies from a Paraguayan Air Force aircraft.
Paraguayan Ambassador to Bolivia Enrique Jose Guerrero Cari said the assistance was sent on the instructions of President Santiago Peña as a gesture of solidarity with the Bolivian people.
The shipment forms part of a six-tonne aid package destined for the cities of La Paz and El Alto, which have been among the hardest hit by supply disruptions.
“It includes basic food items such as flour, sugar, salt, rice, pasta and oil, everything a family might need to prepare meals,” Guerrero said.
The aid arrives as residents in Santa Cruz continue to queue at cargo terminals in an effort to send food and supplies to relatives affected by shortages in other parts of the country.
Claudia Tapia, a Santa Cruz resident who regularly sends meat and chicken to family members in La Paz, welcomed the international assistance.
“Any assistance is welcome for our country because we are truly in a very critical situation,” she said.
Bolivia has endured more than three weeks of protests and road blockades, disrupting transport networks and contributing to shortages of food, fuel and medicine, particularly in La Paz and El Alto.
Protesters have been demanding economic relief measures, the reversal of austerity policies and, in some cases, the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
