Bolivian security forces clashed with followers of former President Evo Morales as they marched into the capital La Paz on Monday, part of a nationwide protest movement fueled by the nation's worst economic crisis in a generation.

After a six-day march through the Andes, thousands of Morales's supporters, some brandishing dynamite sticks and slingshots, converged on the capital, where they were met by riot police. Dynamite blasts rumbled downtown, and security forces fired tear gas canisters at demonstrators calling for President Rodrigo Paz's resignation just six months into his tenure.

Rallies and roadblocks that started over two weeks ago have become the biggest challenge to Paz, Bolivia's first conservative leader after nearly two decades of socialist governance, and have provoked shortages across the country. Paz inherited the nation's most severe economic crisis in 40 years and has struggled to replenish fuel, restrain the budget deficit, and resolve the dollar shortage.

Paz accuses Morales of orchestrating the unrest. Eight allied Latin American governments released a joint statement rejecting actions aimed at destabilizing democratic order. The US Department of State expressed support for Paz's efforts to restore order. Argentina announced a weeklong humanitarian airlift at Paz's request.

Morales marshaled the march from his hideout in Bolivia's remote tropics, evading an arrest warrant on charges relating to his sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. He claims the allegations are politically motivated.

Source: www.aljazeera.com