Colombian truckers block highways in main cities in protest over increases in fuel prices

abcnews.go.com:

Thousands of Colombians have been forced to walk to work as truckers in major cities blocked highways to protest a recent increase in the price of diesel fuel

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Thousands of Colombians were forced to walk to work on Tuesday, as truckers in major cities blocked highways to protest a recent increase in the price of diesel fuel.

Truckers unions have said that plans by the government to eliminate diesel fuel subsidies would push their businesses to the brink of bankruptcy, while the administration of left-wing President Gustavo Petro argues it must phase out subsidies to cut a growing budget deficit and direct more funds to education and health.

On Saturday, the government raised the price of diesel fuel to around $2.90 per gallon, an increase of 50 cents, following numerous meetings with truckers unions.

In response, the unions have been holding protests around the country, which intensified on Tuesday, with roadblocks in the cities of Bogotá, Medellin and Cali, that have diminished the amount of food arriving at wholesale markets.

Diego Torres, a trucker who transports bricks in Bogotá, said that with the new fuel prices he would lose money with every load of construction material that he carries around the city. He said that truckers in Colombia are already facing other problems, including higher crime rates along rural roads.

“I am willing to stay at this protest for a day or two days or three,” Torres said, “because we are tired” of the difficult conditions.

Petro wrote on social media platform X that he would not let truckers unions “block” the country. The former activist, who has led numerous protests throughout his career, wrote Tuesday that fuel subsidies had to be removed in order to “reduce