• Ecuador’s cost-of-living protests have claimed three more lives this week.
• Police in Quito sprayed tear gas on Thursday to disperse Indigenous protesters who attempted to attack congress.
• The total number of fatalities over the 11 days of protests now stands at six, rights groups say.

Police in Ecuador capital sprayed tear gas on Thursday to disperse Indigenous protesters who attempted to attack congress, as the country’s debilitating cost-of-living demonstrations claimed three more lives, as per a rights group.

The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations documented three deaths between Monday and Wednesday, bringing the total number of fatalities over the 11 days of protests to six.

Read more: 18 Ecuador police ‘missing’ after attack on station

Later in the day, however, a group of Indigenous protestors led by women made their way towards Congress, only to be repelled by police as violent fights erupted.

Protesters hurled rocks, pyrotechnics, and Molotov cocktails, as police shot tear gas.

“This is a very bad sign, given we asked our base to march peacefully,” protest leader Leonidas Iza remarked.

Read more: Ecuador’s President Lasso declares state of exception over protests

A young man died nearby, and an Indigenous community member died in Caspigasi, on the outskirts of Quito, during conflicts with the military.

The armed forces said on Thursday that 17 troops were critically injured when they were “assaulted by a violent group” in Caspigasi while providing security for a supply convoy.

About 14,000 protesters are taking part in the large show of discontent, and about 10,000 of them are in Quito, which has a curfew at night.

Read more: Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead

The protesters’ demands include a reduction in already subsidised fuel costs, which have grown substantially over the past few months, as well as jobs, price restrictions for food, and increased public spending on healthcare and education.