Rising Tensions Over Illegal Occupations
On September 18, 2025, hundreds to thousands of salaried miners, organized under the Federación Sindical de Trabajadores Mineros de Bolivia (FSTMB), marched from El Alto to the capital La Paz in protest against the so-called “avasallamientos” — illegal encroachments of mining concessions by cooperativist miners and informal groups. The action included dynamite blasts and strong public denunciations of “jukeo” (mineral theft), which marchers say undermine legality, undermine revenues, and threaten mining jobs and concessions held by formal operations.
Demands for Legal Protection and Respect for Concessions
Protesters are demanding that the government enforce mining laws, protect legally authorized mining concessions, ensure respect for property and concession boundaries, and punish illegal actors. The salaried miner sector complains that cooperativists and sometimes even community actors have occupied or tried to occupy mines at sites such as Andacaba, Porco, Colquiri, Reserva Tres Amigos, Caracoles, among others. Union leaders argue these actions not only violate laws but also threaten the livelihoods of those operating legally, and erode trust in the state’s ability to regulate mining fairly.
Implications for Mining Governance and Social License
The protests put Bolivia’s mining governance under renewed scrutiny. Formal sector miners are calling for urgent government intervention — potentially through heavier-handed enforcement, clearer legal definitions of concession rights, and remedies for affected operations. For cooperative miners, the conflict underscores the fragile balance between formal legal structures and informality in Bolivia’s mining sector; for the government, how it responds could affect investor confidence, internal stability among mining communities, and Bolivia’s ability to formalize and govern its mineral wealth. Public order risks also loom; the sector has declared an “estado de emergencia” and threatened further escalation if demands are ignored.