The students are stable and looked after, though there were limitations on food
Cuando las protestas sociales cerraron las carreteras de Bolivia, más de 400 ciudadanos peruanos —entre ellos grupos escolares que habían viajado para celebrar aniversarios históricos— quedaron varados en tierra ajena, lejos de sus familias en el Día de la Madre. Lo que siguió fue un puente aéreo militar coordinado entre dos naciones vecinas, un gesto poco común de solidaridad diplomática que recuerda cuán frágil puede ser la movilidad humana cuando el orden civil se fractura. Aviones Hércules de la Fuerza Aérea Boliviana transportaron a los evacuados desde La Paz y Oruro hasta Juliaca, donde la tierra peruana volvió a recibirlos.
- Más de 400 peruanos quedaron atrapados en Bolivia sin acceso seguro a alimentos ni refugio mientras los bloqueos de carreteras cortaban toda vía terrestre de salida.
- 107 estudiantes del Glorioso Colegio Nacional de Ciencias de Cusco, que habían viajado a Potosí para celebrar un bicentenario, pasaron el Día de la Madre separados de sus familias sin fecha clara de regreso.
- Bolivia y Perú activaron una respuesta diplomática coordinada: aviones militares bolivianos, líneas consulares de emergencia peruanas y personal estacionado en ciudades bolivianas para asistir a sus nacionales dispersos.
- El puente aéreo transportó a los evacuados hasta Juliaca, desde donde completarían el trayecto por tierra hacia Cusco, con la llegada de los estudiantes prevista para la madrugada del martes.
- La operación, aunque exitosa en su ejecución, dejó expuesta la profundidad de la crisis: cientos de viajeros comunes, no solo escolares, dependieron de la voluntad militar y diplomática para poder regresar a casa.
El lunes, aviones militares bolivianos comenzaron a sacar a ciudadanos peruanos de las tierras altas después de que las protestas sociales en escalada hicieran imposible el tránsito por carretera. El gobierno boliviano activó un puente aéreo, desplegando aviones Hércules para trasladar a más de 400 personas varadas desde La Paz y Oruro hasta Juliaca, en la región peruana de Puno. La operación representó un momento inusual de coordinación diplomática entre ambos países, mientras la agitación que había paralizado la red de transporte boliviana durante la semana anterior no daba señales de ceder.
Entre quienes esperaban ser evacuados había delegaciones escolares que habían viajado a Bolivia para eventos conmemorativos. El Glorioso Colegio Nacional de Ciencias de Cusco había enviado a 107 estudiantes, docentes y padres de familia a Potosí para celebrar el bicentenario del Colegio Pichincha. Quedaron atrapados cuando las protestas se intensificaron y las rutas cerraron. Peter Ardiles, presidente de la asociación de padres, señaló que los estudiantes estaban supervisados pero enfrentaban dificultades reales: conseguir alimentos y refugio se volvió complicado a medida que los negocios cerraban. La fecha añadía otra capa de dolor: las familias en Cusco pasaron el Día de la Madre separadas de sus hijos.
El plan contemplaba evacuar a los grupos escolares desde Potosí y La Paz por vía aérea hasta Juliaca, para luego completar el viaje por tierra hasta Cusco. Se esperaba que los estudiantes llegaran a la ciudad en la madrugada del martes. La Cancillería boliviana enmarcó el puente aéreo como un acto de solidaridad internacional, mientras el cuerpo diplomático peruano mantuvo líneas de emergencia abiertas y desplegó personal consular en ciudades bolivianas. La coordinación entre ambos gobiernos, aunque necesaria, subrayó con claridad cuánto habían perturbado las protestas el movimiento cotidiano de personas en toda la región.
Bolivia's military aircraft began lifting Peruvians out of the highlands on Monday as road blockades from escalating social protests made overland travel impossible. The Bolivian government activated what officials called an air bridge, deploying Hercules transport planes from the Bolivian Air Force to move more than 400 stranded citizens from La Paz and Oruro to Juliaca, a Peruvian city in the Puno region. The operation represented a rare moment of diplomatic coordination between the two countries as the unrest that had paralyzed Bolivia's transport network for the previous week showed no signs of easing.
Among those waiting for evacuation were school delegations that had traveled to Bolivia for commemorative events. The Glorioso Colegio Nacional de Ciencias, a prestigious school in Cusco, had sent 107 students along with teachers and parents to Potosí to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of another institution, Colegio Pichincha. They became trapped when the protests intensified and highways closed. Peter Ardiles, president of the parent association at the Cusco school, said the students remained under supervision but faced real hardship. Food and shelter became difficult to secure as the unrest deepened and businesses shuttered. The timing added another layer of difficulty—families in Cusco spent Mother's Day separated from their children, unable to know when they would return.
Ardiles later clarified that while the students had remained safe and cared for, the constraints were genuine. "The students are stable and looked after, though there were certainly limitations on food because of what was happening around them," he said. The plan called for evacuating the school groups from Potosí and La Paz by air to Juliaca, then completing the journey overland to Cusco. Officials expected the students to arrive in the city early Tuesday morning.
The Bolivian Foreign Ministry issued a statement framing the airlift as an act of international solidarity, pledging to provide all necessary resources to return the Peruvian citizens safely. Peru's own diplomatic corps kept emergency lines open and stationed consular staff in Bolivian cities to assist their nationals scattered across the country. The coordination between the two governments, while necessary, underscored how thoroughly the protests had disrupted normal movement across the region. Hundreds of ordinary travelers—not just schoolchildren—found themselves unable to leave, dependent on military transport and diplomatic goodwill to get home.
Citações Notáveis
The students are stable and cared for, though there were certainly limitations on food because of what was happening around them.— Peter Ardiles, president of the parent association at Glorioso Colegio Nacional de Ciencias
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did it take military aircraft to move these people? Couldn't they just drive?
The road blockades were complete. Protesters had shut down the highways, so there was no way overland. Once that happens in a landlocked country, you're essentially trapped unless you fly out.
Four hundred people is a lot. Were they all in one place?
No, they were scattered across different cities—La Paz, Oruro, Potosí. That's part of what made it complicated. The school groups had to be gathered and moved to departure points before the planes could even pick them up.
The students missed Mother's Day with their families. That seems like it would have been frightening for the parents.
It was. Families in Cusco had no idea when their children would get home. The school official said later that the kids were safe and supervised, but in the moment, when you can't reach your child and don't know when they're coming back, that's real fear.
Did the Bolivian government have to do this, or was it a choice?
Technically a choice, but politically necessary. If you strand citizens of another country and leave them stranded, that damages relationships. Both governments understood that getting people home quickly was the right move, even if it meant deploying military resources.
What happens when the students get to Juliaca? Do they drive straight to Cusco?
Yes. Juliaca is in Peru, so once they land there, they're back in their own country. From there it's a road journey to Cusco, which should be passable. They were expected to arrive early Tuesday morning.