Indigenous communities along the Yura River are set to block the Uyuni-Potosí and Potosí-Oruro highways starting at midnight tonight, Tuesday, May 28th, following a false start on Monday. This action follows weeks of unsuccessful negotiations over the closure of hydroelectric plants in the region.
Job Losses and Water Shortage Drive Protests: A spokesperson for the communities, interviewed by a number of regional news outlets, explained that the closure of the 3 hydroelectric plants, which began on February 6th, has resulted in job losses and a critical water shortage.
Since February 11th, the river that irrigates their fields has been cut off, leading to a 50% reduction in agricultural production.
Failed Negotiations and Broken Promises: The communities have been engaged in ongoing discussions with COMIBOL, the administrators of the 3 plants.
On February 22nd, they began a series of meetings with COMIBOL representatives. Initially, a 20-day handover of the plants was promised but never materialized.
A second meeting in March yielded another broken promise. A report detailing the transfer progress was supposed to be delivered by COMIBOL, but they became unresponsive.
Ultimatum Ignored, Roadblocks to Begin: On May 22nd, the indigenous communities issued a resolution demanding action within five days. Although the initial blockade was set to begin today, May 27th, community elders extended the deadline by one day in hopes of reaching a solution.
The community representative expressed doubt that government officials will act within the remaining 24 hours.
Travel Alert: Roadblocks are highly likely to start at midnight on Tuesday, May 28th, on both the Oruro-Potosi and Uyuni-Potosi highways. The participating communities include Jila Grande, Jila Chico, Ally Jatun Yura, the Itacora Ayllus, and three mining companies.
Despite the false start for roadblocks this Monday and the low number of protesters on the Oruro-Potosi highway at the beginning of last week, travelers are urged to take this latest warning seriously. With all avenues for resolving the conflict seemingly exhausted, the potential for significant travel disruption along these routes is high.
