Bolivia expelled Colombian Ambassador Elizabeth García Carrillo on May 20, 2026 [1], declaring her persona non grata and ordering her to leave the country.
The move signals a sharp decline in diplomatic relations between the two nations. By removing the top Colombian envoy, the administration of President Rodrigo Paz is asserting a strict boundary against external commentary on its internal stability.
The expulsion follows statements made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding the domestic climate in Bolivia. According to the Bolivian government, Petro described the country's internal situation as a "popular insurrection," which officials in La Paz interpreted as an attempt to interfere in sovereign affairs [2], [3].
Bolivian authorities said the decision was a direct response to this perceived interference. The government of President Paz has maintained that the Colombian leadership's characterization of the protests oversteps diplomatic norms, and undermines the state's authority to manage its own civil unrest [2], [4].
Ambassador García Carrillo was serving as the primary link between the two South American nations before the order was issued. The Colombian embassy in La Paz now faces a leadership vacuum as the ambassador departs the country under the directive of the Bolivian Foreign Ministry [1], [5].
While the Colombian government has not yet issued a formal rebuttal to the expulsion, the incident marks one of the most severe diplomatic ruptures in recent history between the two countries. The tension centers on the definition of the current protests—whether they constitute a legitimate internal struggle or a broader popular uprising as Petro suggested [3], [4].
“Bolivia declared the Colombian ambassador persona non grata and ordered her to leave the country.”
This diplomatic rupture reflects the high volatility of current Bolivian internal politics and the sensitivity of the Paz administration to external perceptions of legitimacy. By expelling the ambassador, Bolivia is attempting to shut down international narratives that frame its domestic unrest as a popular revolution, which could embolden opposition movements within the country.
