Truckers in Colombia are blocking major highways into the country's largest cities, in protest of a recent increase in diesel fuel prices. 

The government rolled back years-old subsidies and raised the price of diesel fuel by more than 1,900 Colombian pesos (45 cents) on August 31, according to Reuters. Truckers then walked off the job, and began blocking roads into Bogota, Medellin and Cali on September 3, effectively halting the flow of food and fuel to major metropolitan areas.

Colombia's Finance Ministry estimates that diesel fuel subsidies — particularly for state oil company Ecopetrol — have cost the government as much as 1 trillion pesos ($240 million) a month. The cost of diesel in the country has also not risen since 2019. In a post to social media platform X, President Gustavo Petro said his administration plans to use the money saved from eliminating those subsidies to "finance the health and education of Colombians." Petro also argued that the subsidies shouldn't have been granted in the first place, and that he will not allow truckers to continue blockading the country.