STORY: Bolivia's Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said operations to clear roadblocks across the country were proceeding calmly on Saturday (June 20), as troops advanced on blockade points in El Alto and Cochabamba under a state of emergency declared by President Rodrigo Paz.

Speaking alongside soldiers and police, Justiniano said most blockades his forces encountered were "practically ghost blockades," consisting only of stones and mounds of earth that were cleared without incident.

In an early morning address, Paz declared a state of emergency, allowing security forces to begin clearing protesters' roadblocks that have paralyzed the economy over the past 50 days and left at least 14 people dead.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: EL ALTO, BOLIVIA (JUNE 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. MILITARY VEHICLES ON ROAD CONNECTING LA PAZ AND ORURO DEPARTMENTS

2. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS ON ROAD TO ORURO CLEARING STREETS

3. BOLIVIAN DEFENCE MINISTER WITH SOLDIERS AND POLICE IN ACHICA ARRIBA

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER, ERNESTO JUSTINIANO, SAYING:

"The blockade points that existed up to here were practically ghost blockades because there were only stones and mounds of earth which obviously have been cleared with the equipment that each company of the forces has. The forces have come mainly to do clean-up work, there has been no issue, we see a trend in this whole zone from La Paz to here in El Alto, we see calm, we see an awareness in the people."

5. POLICE VEHICLES ADVANCING TOWARDS BLOCKADE POINTS

6. VARIOUS OF TRACTORS REMOVING STONES FROM ROAD

7. CHASSIS OF BUS IN MIDDLE OF ROAD USED TO BLOCK ROAD

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER, ERNESTO JUSTINIANO, SAYING:

"We hope that from this date of the promulgation of this decree, of this State of Exception, it gives us a new order, we can have normality across the whole country and especially in areas that had this kind of blockades and conflict, and whom we encourage to come and sit down, or we will go to where they are. The important thing is to seek consensus, to seek to address all their demands which are legitimate."

COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA (JUNE 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access All)

9. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS PREPARING TO UNBLOCK ROAD IN PAROTANI

10. STONES BLOCKING ROAD

11. VARIOUS OF TRACTORS REMOVING STONES AND DEBRIS THAT WERE BLOCKING ROAD IN PAROTANI