Indigenous protesters in Ecuador defy state of emergency

• Indigenous protesters in Ecuador defied a state of emergency, continuing with road blockages that are now on their sixth day.
• The demonstrations have blocked roads across the country, including highways leading into the capital Quito.
• Fuel prices have risen sharply since 2020, almost doubling for diesel and rising from $1 to $1.90 per gallon (3.8 liters).

Indigenous protesters in Ecuador defied a state of emergency on Saturday, continuing with road blockages that are now on their sixth day.

Police said Indigenous people continued to protest in most of the country’s 24 provinces, including three where the president declared the state of emergency, a day after President Guillermo Lasso announced the restrictive measures in an attempt to end the sometimes violent demonstrations. One of them is Quito, the capital.

Oil producer Ecuador has been hit by rising inflation, unemployment and poverty exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Fuel prices have risen sharply since 2020, almost doubling for diesel from $1 to $1.90 per gallon (3.8 liters) and rising from $1.75 to $2.55 for petrol.

Demonstrators from the country’s Indigenous community — which makes up over a million of Ecuador’s 17.7 million inhabitants — launched an open-ended anti-government protest this week that has since been joined by students, workers and others.

The demonstrations have blocked roads across the country, including highways leading into the capital Quito.

Talks with the president failed to end the demonstrations.

Clashes with security forces during the protests have left at least 83 people injured, and 40 have been arrested.

In response, Lasso’s decree empowers him to mobilize the armed forces to maintain order, suspend civil rights and declare curfews.

“I am committed to defending our capital and our country,” Lasso said on television.

“I called for dialogue and the response was more violence. There is no intention to seek solutions.”

The demonstrations have largely been concentrated in the northern region of Pichincha which includes Quito, and neighboring Cotopaxi and Imbabura.

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This week, nearly 1,000 protesters attempted to tear down the metal fences that surround the presidential headquarters in Quito.

Lasso announced a small increase in a monthly subsidy paid to Ecuador’s poorest in his address late Friday, as well as a program to help those who have loans from state-run banks get out of debt.