Bolivian prosecutors issued an arrest warrant on July 29 for former president Evo Morales, accusing him of terrorism and armed insurrection over his alleged role in orchestrating weeks of road blockades that left more than a dozen people dead and cost the economy over $3bn as protesters demanded President Rodrigo Paz's resignation.

State attorney general Roger Mariaca told reporters the order had been issued as part of an investigation into the blockades that paralysed the country for weeks. The order, signed by prosecutor Brayan Melgar, instructs police to detain Morales and hand him to the specialised anti-corruption police unit, according to the document.

Prosecutors are investigating Morales on six counts: armed uprising against the security and sovereignty of the state, terrorism, endangering the safety of transport systems, criminal association, public incitement to commit crimes, and endangering the safety of public services.

The case stems from a criminal complaint filed on July 1 by the Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee, which named Morales as the main instigator of the blockades. Bolivia's interior minister, Marco Antonio Oviedo, later joined the complaint.

Between May and June, farmers from La Paz, members of the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB) and groups aligned with Morales set up more than 100 roadblocks, mainly in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, to demand Paz's resignation. The disruption, which lasted 53 days, triggered severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines in several cities, including La Paz and El Alto.

Bolivia's Ombudsman's Office and civic and social organisations put the death toll from the unrest at 22, with 88 people injured. Separate estimates cited at least 16 deaths, 13 of them attributed to delays in medical care caused by the blockades. Economic losses exceeded $3bn, with production in Santa Cruz particularly hard-hit as goods could not be moved to market.

Morales, 66, denied orchestrating a campaign to force Paz's resignation, saying the mobilisations were intended to press the government to address the sectors' demands. On May 24, he wrote on X that Paz faced "two paths": to "militarise" the country or call elections within 90 days.

Responding to the arrest order on July 29, Morales wrote on X: "They seek to blame us for the social mobilisations to hide the true drama that Bolivia is experiencing: a deep economic and social crisis, the result of a model that has abandoned the people and protects corruption."

He added: "They will not intimidate us. We will continue fighting alongside the people, as we have always done, with the conviction that Bolivia deserves a different path: one of dignity, sovereignty, social justice, and the restoration of hope for everyone."

The arrest order also names COB leader Argollo, identified in reports as either Marco or Mario Argollo, and Vicente Salazar, leader of the La Paz-based Túpac Katari Peasant Federation. Salazar has been held in pretrial detention at Chonchocoro prison since 6 July in connection with a separate investigation into the same events.

The blockades eased in mid-June after Paz reached agreements with the COB and other groups. Paz declared a state of emergency on June 20 and deployed police and the army to clear the remaining roadblocks and restore traffic.

Paz, a centrist politician, took office in November 2025, ending a 20-year run of socialist governments led by Morales and Luis Arce under the hard-left MAS party. During the protests, Paz received the backing of the United States and its Shield of the Americas partners, including Argentina, Chile and El Salvador, which in early June denounced what they called efforts to overthrow the Bolivian president. Bolivia's government accused "narco-terrorists" of trying to alter the democratic order and said Morales was behind the pressure tactics.

Morales has remained in the Trópico region of Cochabamba, in the town of Lauca Ñ, since October 2024, guarded by coca-growing supporters who have prevented the execution of a separate arrest warrant related to an investigation into aggravated human trafficking. In that case, Morales is accused of statutory rape over an alleged relationship with a minor with whom he is said to have had a daughter while president in 2016.

In May, a court in Tarija declared Morales a fugitive and issued a new warrant after he failed to appear at the start of that trial. Police have said they are awaiting the right moment to execute the outstanding order.