ALBAWABA- Bolivia has ordered the expulsion of Colombia’s ambassador, Elizabeth García, amid escalating anti-government protests and growing regional tensions over the country’s deepening political and economic crisis.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry declared García persona non grata and demanded her immediate departure, accusing her of interfering in Bolivia’s internal affairs and undermining national sovereignty.
The ministry said the move was taken in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and stressed that the decision does not amount to a complete rupture of diplomatic or economic relations between Bolivia and Colombia.
The diplomatic dispute was triggered by comments made on May 17 by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who described the ongoing unrest in Bolivia as a “popular insurrection” and blamed it on what he called “geopolitical arrogance.”
Writing on the social media platform X, Petro said his government was prepared to help mediate the crisis and warned against the detention of political prisoners.
Bolivian authorities strongly rejected the remarks, viewing them as an endorsement of opposition-led demonstrations that have paralyzed large parts of the country.
Responding to the ambassador’s expulsion, Petro criticized the Bolivian government, saying that punishing a diplomat for promoting dialogue reflected a drift “toward extremism.”
The diplomatic fallout comes as Bolivia faces its most severe political and economic turmoil in decades. Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the capital, La Paz, have continued for a second consecutive week amid soaring inflation, fuel shortages, and a worsening foreign currency crisis.
The unrest intensified after the government of President Rodrigo Paz Pereira ended long-standing fuel subsidies shortly after taking office. The centre-right administration came to power earlier this year, ending nearly two decades of rule by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party. Since then, unions, miners, and rural groups aligned with former President Evo Morales have organized nationwide road blockades and mass demonstrations demanding President Paz’s resignation.
The crisis has also exposed widening geopolitical divisions across Latin America.
The United States has publicly backed the Bolivian government, with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warning that the unrest resembled “an ongoing coup d’état” led by factions defeated in the previous election.
Meanwhile, the European Union and several European diplomatic missions have adopted a more cautious approach, urging peaceful demonstrations and immediate dialogue between the government and opposition groups.
