La Paz, March 4, 2026 — In the midst of Lent, when the Church reminds us, that sin can be committed through “thought, word, deed, and omission”, the Bolivian government has denounced acts of sabotage within Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) that are reportedly manifesting in precisely these four ways.
Sources close to the Executive Branch indicate that certain officials—holdovers from the previous administration—would welcome the failure of the new management in order to preserve their positions or personal interests. Some go further: they allegedly leak biased or false information to sensationalist media outlets, which serve as echo chambers without the authorities having yet managed to establish a coherent and unified communications strategy.
There have even been suggestions of direct acts of sabotage, such as the intentional contamination of gasoline in storage tanks, although experts consider this hypothesis highly unlikely. The most widespread and documented form of sabotage, however, is that of omission: the importation of low-quality gasoline, neglect of laboratory analyses, and routine negligence in the maintenance of facilities.
The core problem lies in significant volumes of imported gasoline that is unfit for direct consumption and requires prior treatment before being marketed. The government has announced the addition of chemical additives to preemptively clean vehicle combustion systems. However, various professionals in the sector warn that this measure does not improve the product’s quality and would only increase the costs of the partial subsidy that remains in place for gasoline.
It has been suggested that an urgent multidisciplinary technical team be formed to evaluate viable alternatives and make decisions based on scientific consensus before the crisis worsens.
International Risk: Closure of the Strait of Hormuz
At the same time, the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil transits—further darkens the outlook. International analysts estimate that this blockade could cause the price of a barrel of crude oil and its derivatives to surge by 50% or more.
For Bolivia, heavily reliant on fuel imports and facing chronic dollar shortages, the consequences would be devastating: the government would face the dilemma of sharply rising fuel prices or fully reinstating the subsidy, reviving well-known problems such as shortages, smuggling, and economic distortions.
Meanwhile, the long-promised structural reforms in the hydrocarbons sector continue to be delayed.
Public confidence in the government remains intact, even though a comedian might joke that the ‘good news’ is that the country is sinking… but more slowly.
An affectionate hug, with no omissions.
Francesco