QUITO: Crowds protesting soaring fuel prices flooded the streets of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, setting fires, blocking major roads, and clashing with police as anger mounted over President Daniel Noboa’s economic reforms.
The latest confrontation is part of a wave of nationwide demonstrations that have tested Noboa’s leadership since he decided to end a diesel subsidy, raising prices from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon.
Protesters chanted “Noboa out!” as they marched toward a central park in Quito before police on motorbikes dispersed them with tear gas volleys. No injuries were immediately reported.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the country’s largest Indigenous organization, launched the strikes three weeks ago, saying the measures disproportionately affect rural and low-income communities.
Mounting Tensions and Crackdown
At least one civilian has been killed, dozens injured, and over 100 people arrested since the unrest began. Noboa has declared a state of emergency in ten provinces, limiting public gatherings and deploying thousands of riot police to the capital.
Last week, protesters hurled rocks at the president’s motorcade, prompting condemnation from Noboa’s Cabinet and calls for restraint.
The protests coincided with Ecuador’s Day of Interculturality and Plurinationality, a national holiday celebrating Indigenous identity instead of Columbus Day.
Economic Strain and Political Fallout
Noboa defends the removal of the $1.1 billion fuel subsidy as vital to curbing smuggling into neighboring Colombia and Peru and stabilizing the economy. But critics accuse him of imposing “neoliberal and hunger-inducing policies.”
“The Indigenous movement, workers, youth, and neighborhoods of Quito are rising up against the government’s anti-poor agenda,” said union leader Nelson Erazo, speaking to the Associated Press.
While the president has offered cash bonuses to farmers and transport workers, he has refused to negotiate directly with the Indigenous federation, heightening tensions in a country already shaken by political instability and gang violence.
