At least five people have been killed in the protests that lasted for a week. One of the victims was hit in the southern province of Azuay on Sunday, the other four were killed during clashes in Quito.
Several thousand people traveled to the capital on Wednesday to show their dissatisfaction with the government, and with demands to reintroduce fuel subsidies that have been removed. Masked protesters threw molotov cocktails and pebbles, while security forces responded with water cannons and tear gas.
The protests in Ecuador, with 17 million inhabitants, began on October 3, after the government, following an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, introduced several reforms, all with the aim of reducing Ecuador's deficit and foreign debt.