The World Briefly

June 27, 2022

Blinking

Ecuador

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Ecuador lifted a state of emergency in six provinces over the weekend amid an Indigenous-led nationwide strike that has blocked the country’s capital from receiving food and other supplies, the Associated Press reported.

President Guillermo Lasso ended the state of emergency following a Saturday meeting between government officials and Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organization, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador.

Following the meeting, officials said they would establish a commission to broker talks to end the strike.

The strike began two weeks ago after Indigenous leaders demanded a cut in gasoline prices, price controls on agricultural products and a larger budget for education. The protests have blocked roads in Quito, which has caused food and fuel shortages in the capital.

At least six people have died and hundreds have been injured amid clashes with security forces, according to Reuters. Lasso has accused Indigenous leaders of staging a coup.

The president of the Indigenous confederation, Leonidas Iza, said the strike would not end until all demands had been met. But he added that the demonstrators will rest for the weekend and asked that corridors be opened in the interprovincial border areas to allow food to arrive in Quito.

Meanwhile, the decision to end the emergency measures came as opposition lawmakers from the Union for Hope party requested the removal of Lasso over his decision to impose the state of emergency.

It will take the votes of at least 92 lawmakers to remove Lasso. The Union for Hope has only 47 seats.

This story originally appeared in the June 27, 2022 newsletter, The Disappeared.