Faced with violence for several days during demonstrations by indigenous people against fuel prices, the President of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso announced, on Friday June 17, a state of emergency in three provinces of the country.
"I am committed to defending our capital and defending the country. This obliges me to declare a state of emergency in Pichincha (where Quito is located, editor's note), Imbabura and Cotopaxi from midnight tonight (5 a.m. GMT Saturday)," he said in a televised address.
The state of emergency allows the president to mobilize the armed forces to maintain order, to suspend the rights of citizens or to institute curfews.
The protest movement was launched on Monday by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, the largest organization of indigenous peoples, which is calling in particular for a drop in fuel prices.
Since the start of the week, access to two main supply markets in the capital Quito has been blocked, as have many roads in 15 of the country's 24 provinces.
Attempt to defuse the crisis
Indigenous people make up one million of Ecuador's 17.7 million people.
The organization had already led the violent demonstrations of 2019 (11 dead) and participated in the uprisings which overthrew three presidents, between 1997 and 2005.
On Friday, the Ecuadorian president had received a small delegation of indigenous representatives to try to defuse the crisis which has already left 43 injured among the demonstrators and the police and led to 37 arrests.
Friday evening, the conservative president, in power for a year, also announced the increase of a premium from 50 to 55 dollars to "improve the difficult situation" of the poorest families, as well as various aids for farmers.
With AFP
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