Indigenous protesters in Ecuador on Monday vowed to continue nationwide protests over the high cost of living, dismissing a government announced cut in fuel prices as insufficient and “insensitive”.
President Guillermo Lasso on Sunday announced a 10 cents a gallon cut in soaring diesel and gasoline prices, sparking the uprising, now in its 15th day, seriously handicapping the oil-dependent economy.
The cut was not nearly as big as protesters had been demanding, and the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), which has been blocking roads and seizing oil wells since June 13, said the gesture was “not enough, it’s insensitive.” “
It shows, according to a Conaie declaration signed by its leader Leonidas Iza, that the government “has no understanding of the poverty situation of millions of families”.
The group added, “Our fight is not over yet.”
Indigenous people make up more than a million of the South American nation’s 17.7 million people, and Conaie is credited with deposing three presidents between 1997 and 2005.
Fuel prices, which are subsidized in oil-producing Ecuador, have risen sharply since 2020, nearly doubling for diesel from $1 to $1.90 a gallon and rising from $1.75 to $2.55 for gasoline.
Conaie wants the price to go down to $1.50 a gallon for diesel and $2.10 for gas.
– Level “Critical” –
An estimated 14,000 protesters are taking part in a nationwide demonstration of discontent against mounting hardship in an economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Most of the anger is concentrated in the capital, Quito, where about 10,000 people are gathered, mostly from other parts of the country.
In addition to fuel price cuts, protesters also want jobs, food price controls and more public spending on health and education.
The action was costly, with losses of about $50 million a day to the economy, and production of fuel – Ecuador’s biggest export – halved from about 520,000 barrels a day, according to the Energy Department.
Hundreds of wells are besieged.
On Sunday, the ministry said oil production had reached “critical” levels and could be halted entirely within 48 hours if protests continue.
Ecuador’s economy is heavily dependent on oil revenues, with 65 percent of production exported in the first four months of 2022.
The demonstrations have also paralyzed transport as roadblocks were erected in 19 of the oil-rich country’s 24 provinces, blocking shipments of food and flowers – another key export item – and dealing a blow to tourism.
Shortages are already being reported in the capital, where prices have skyrocketed and angry workers and shopkeepers have launched counter-protests at the impact on their lives and livelihoods.
– ‘Full Power’ –
Lasso, an ex-banker who took office last year, finds himself in an awkward position between protesters and politicians who blame him for the protracted standoff.
At the request of the opposition parties, parliament launched impeachment proceedings against the president over the weekend, which are suspended until Tuesday.
Once the hearings are over, MEPs have 72 hours to vote.
An impeachment trial would require 92 of the 137 possible votes in the National Assembly, where the opposition holds a fragmented majority.
To appease protesters, Lasso on Saturday lifted the state of emergency imposed in six provinces, with Quito under a nighttime curfew.
In the two-week protests so far, five people have been killed and hundreds injured on both sides in clashes with police.
International organizations and human rights organizations have called for an end to the violence, while Pope Francis called for “dialogue” on Sunday.
Both sides have accused each other of intransigence, and Lasso on Sunday insisted those seeking a peaceful solution would find an “outstretched hand”.
However, “those seeking chaos, violence and terrorism will face the full force of the law,” the president said.
Iza told supporters in Quito on Sunday that protesters would gather again on Monday “to continue the fight in the streets.”
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