Bolivia farm region blocks borders, grain transport as protests lead to clashes

A police officer takes cover during a protest as part of a "general strike" following the detention of Santa Cruz opposition governor Luis Fernando Camacho, for whom prosecutors are seeking pre-trial detention in connection to the 2019 political unrest, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

SANTA CRUZ/LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Protesters in Bolivia's farming region of Santa Cruz are blocking highways out of the province, threatening to snarl the domestic transport of grains and food, as anger simmers following the arrest of local governor Luis Camacho.

The region, a stronghold of the conservative opposition to socialist President Luis Arce, is in its sixth day of protests that have seen thousands of people take to the streets and nights of clashes with weaponized fireworks and cars burned.