By Mauricio Diaz, La Razon:

The assessment presented to lawmakers establishes five levels of risk, with Santa Cruz at the highest level and Pando at the lowest.

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A blockade point in the Villa Victoria area of Yotala. Photo: Correo del Sur

Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano identified Santa Cruz on Wednesday as the department most at risk of being affected by a possible resurgence of blockades and presented a region-by-region assessment before the Legislative Assembly.

During his remarks in the debate over extending the state of emergency, Justiniano explained that the level of risk is not uniform across the country and detailed the departments and regions that could face the greatest difficulties if pressure measures are reactivated.

“Very high in Santa Cruz; high in La Paz–El Alto and Cochabamba; medium-high in Beni, Oruro–Potosí, and Chuquisaca–Tarija; and low in Pando,” the minister stated.

The assessment presented to lawmakers therefore establishes five levels of risk, with Santa Cruz at the highest level and Pando at the lowest.

In addition to this departmental classification, the Ministry of Government identified specific locations where conflict is more concentrated. These include Senkata in La Paz; the Cochabamba Tropics region; and San Julián, the San Pablo Bridge, and Yapacaní in Santa Cruz.

Justiniano argued that this territorial distribution of risk should be taken into account if the Plurinational Legislative Assembly approves the extension of the state of emergency requested by the Executive Branch.

According to the minister, the possible implementation of the measure should not be carried out uniformly throughout the national territory but should instead consider the specific conditions of each region and establish responses proportional to the identified level of risk.

He also stressed that actions must be subject to periodic review, depending on how the conflict situation and security conditions evolve in each area.

Regarding the role of the Armed Forces, Justiniano clarified that they will not assume the ordinary functions of maintaining public order. The Bolivian Police will continue to hold primary authority, while military units will intervene only in a support role.

The minister explained that the participation of the Armed Forces will be extraordinary, temporary, proportional, and subsidiary in nature, within the framework of the conditions established for the implementation of the state of emergency.

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