Bolivia's public works minister narrowly escaped harm on Saturday after his convoy was ambushed twice while overseeing a government operation to clear protest roadblocks south of the capital, La Paz. Mauricio Zamora's vehicle was intercepted by residents in the town of Copata, where demonstrators pelted it with stones and dynamite. After becoming separated from his convoy during the retreat, he took a dirt road but was ambushed a second time before eventually reuniting with government forces. He was later confirmed safe.

The ambush came during a large-scale security operation launched in the early hours of Saturday, when police and military units were dispatched from major cities to dismantle barriers blocking key supply routes into La Paz and the neighbouring city of El Alto. Authorities deployed bulldozers to remove rocks and concrete pillars, hoping to create what the government termed "humanitarian corridors" to restore the flow of food and medicine into the capital. But in several locations, protesters re-established roadblocks after security forces had cleared them. Near Caracollo, north of Oruro — a city roughly 230 kilometres south of La Paz — a military convoy was attacked with explosives, a military truck was burned and a police station was looted. Elsewhere, a customs post in Achicha Arriba, on the highway into El Alto, was also looted and burned after police deployed tear gas against protesters there.

The roadblocks are part of a wave of nationwide protests led by trade unions and supporters of former left-wing President Evo Morales, who governed Bolivia for nearly 14 years before being ousted in 2019. Morales, who is currently sheltering among supporters while facing criminal allegations unrelated to the protests, has backed the demonstrations and called on the government to hold elections within 90 days. His long-standing opposition to US involvement in Latin America has added a further dimension to the unrest, as demonstrators also take issue with President Rodrigo Paz's alignment with Washington.

The protests, which intensified this week with clashes in La Paz itself, are directed at centre-right President Paz, who took office only six months ago on a promise to address Bolivia's worst economic crisis in decades. His decision to eliminate long-standing fuel subsidies — a measure aimed at stabilising public finances amid shortages and inflation — has sharply raised living costs and galvanised opposition from a large portion of the population. Paz's government has accused Morales of instigating the unrest. The president said on Saturday that he remained open to dialogue but warned that "everything has a limit."

The escalating crisis raises serious concerns about access to essential supplies in the capital and the potential for further casualties. The government denied opposition claims that one person had been killed in the town of Vilaque, but multiple journalists covering the clearance operations were also reported to have come under attack, adding to international concern about press safety and the broader trajectory of the standoff.