Ecuador government drops fuel prices following protest deal

Ecuador government drops fuel prices following protest deal

• Thousands of Indigenous protesters left Quito after leaders signed an agreement with the government to end 18 days of cost-of-living demonstrations.
• Fast-rising fuel prices were the catalyst for the protests called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie).
• Five civilians and a soldier died in the protests that started on June 13, and hundreds were injured on both sides.

The government in Ecuador reduced fuel prices on Friday as part of a deal that ended more than two weeks of disruptive protests that had paralyzed the country. Thousands of Indigenous protesters left Quito on Thursday evening after their leaders signed an agreement with the government to end 18 days of cost-of-living demonstrations. Following mediation by the Catholic Church, the government agreed to drop fuel prices by 15 cents. On Friday, a gallon of gasoline dropped from $2.55 to $2.40 and diesel fell from $1.90 to $1.75. Fast-rising fuel prices were the catalyst for the protests called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) and marked by burning roadblocks and sometimes violent clashes with the security forces.

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Five civilians and a soldier died in the protests that started on June 13, hundreds were injured on both sides, and some 150 people were arrested. Some 10,000 Indigenous protesters had congregated in Quito from their homes in Andean and Amazon regions for the protests. On Thursday night, they began boarding trucks and buses adorned with Ecuador flags and the Wiphala, the colorful Indigenous flag. Thursday’s deal included an end to the disruptive countrywide roadblocks and the lifting of a state of emergency in four of the country’s 24 provinces. It also provides for a review of government decrees on oil exploitation and mining in Indigenous lands. These 18 days were the longest period of social action undertaken by Conaie, which is credited with deposing three presidents between 1997 and 2005. Indigenous people make up over a million of the 17.7 million people who live in the South American country.

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