US pledges emergency aid to Bolivia as protests escalate and Ebola kits deployed

The United States on Friday pledged emergency aid to Bolivia as President Rodrigo Paz faces the most serious unrest in his two-year tenure, while Washington simultaneously warned foreign actors against attempts to destabilise the government amid nationwide protests and worsening shortages. The State Department confirmed the move in Washington and in La Paz, where the US embassy said it was “ramping up emergency assistance” to support Bolivian institutions and civil society . France 24 reported that the aid package is designed to shore up food security, fuel supplies and medical services as blockades and road closures paralyse transport networks across the country .

The protests, which began in late May over fuel price hikes and shortages of cooking gas, have expanded into a broader rejection of Paz’s economic management. Trade unions, rural organisations and regional governors have called for his resignation, accusing him of bowing to International Monetary Fund prescriptions. The government has responded by declaring a state of emergency in six departments and deploying the military to protect critical infrastructure. At least three people have died in clashes with security forces since Monday, according to local human rights monitors cited by Reuters.

In a parallel development, the Pan American Health Organization said it is preparing shipments of Ebola detection kits to Bolivia as a precautionary measure, even though no cases have been reported in the country. PAHO spokeswoman Dr. Carissa Etienne told journalists in Washington that the kits will be distributed to border crossings with Brazil and Peru, where small outbreaks of the Sudan strain have been detected in recent weeks . The move follows a warning from UNAIDS that global solidarity is eroding just as new pathogens threaten to exploit weakened health systems across the Global South .

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, the government has moved to bolster the capital of its Development Bank by an additional €400 million as an anti-crisis measure, according to the Bulgaria Gazette . The funds, drawn from the 2026 budget, are intended to support small and medium-sized enterprises hit by energy price volatility and supply-chain disruptions. Finance Minister Kiril Petkov told parliament the injection would unlock up to €1.2 billion in new loans by the end of the year.

Analysts caution that Bolivia’s crisis could deepen if the aid fails to reach communities quickly or if the government resorts to further repression. “The risk of a humanitarian emergency is real,” said María Teresa Zegada, a political scientist at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz. “Without credible dialogue, the country is sleepwalking into a spiral of violence.” The US State Department has urged all parties to return to negotiations mediated by the Catholic Church, but no talks have been scheduled.