The picture shows the scene of the protest
On June 30, local time, representatives of the Ecuadorian government and Iza, president of the country's Federation of Indigenous Peoples (CONAIE), reached an agreement at the headquarters of the Synod to end the protests that had erupted since June 13, ending an 18-day conflict that escalated into violent confrontation.
Protests over livelihood issues escalated into violent clashes
On June 13, CONAIE called for a march to protest the monthly increase in the price of fuel, food and other basic necessities in Ecuador, with ten demands for government price cuts, increased subsidies, extended loan terms, and increased spending on education. On June 14, CONAIE President Iza was arrested by security forces on charges of "endangering public service" and released that night. Iza called for peaceful protests, but violence escalated in some areas. President Lasso ordered a state of emergency in six provinces to suppress protesters through the "excessive use of force" and "arbitrary detentions", which have been criticized by outsiders.
On June 21 in puyo city, in the province of Pastasa, military police clashed seriously with protesters armed with guns and spears, and 18 military police were missing; In the capital, Quito, protesters brandished sticks, spears and shields, set up barricades on major roads, burned tires and branches and vandalized buses.
Yiza's demands that the government lift the emergency decree and evacuate the military police around the protesters' gathering place have not been responded to. On the 23rd, the government agreed for protesters to enter a cultural center in Quito city that symbolized indigenous struggles as a sign of concessions. The Lasso government says other demands, including subsidies for fertilizers, bank debt forgiveness, and increased health and education budgets, can be met, in addition to lowering fuel prices.
The picture shows the scene of the protest
Negotiations briefly interrupted the final agreement
Luis Cabrera, head of the Synod of Bishops as a mediator, attended the signing ceremony of the agreement on June 30, "Social peace can be achieved only through dialogue, with special attention to marginalized communities, but always respecting the rights of everyone, and hopefully soon," Cabrera said. ”
The government's dialogue with CONAIE began on June 26. After the talks between Government Minister Francisco Jimenez and Iza, the Lasso government eased security measures and declared the lifting of the state of emergency in six provinces. Iza said indigenous groups will partially open roads that were blocked during the protests to allow food to enter the capital, Quito, where residents complain of insufficient supplies but will remain in Quito until they receive a satisfactory response from the Government of Lasso. "Instead of making us more afraid, they elevate our defiance and dignity," Iza said.
The picture shows the scene of the protest
Later in the day, President Lasso made further concessions by announcing a 10-cent cut in gasoline and diesel prices per gallon. However, it failed to meet CONAIE's request to reduce gasoline and diesel prices from $2.55 and $1.90 per gallon to $2.10 and $1.50, respectively.
But just one day later, negotiations were suspended on June 28 as The Lasso government blamed demonstrators for the death of one soldier. The military said on the same day that demonstrators attacked a tanker truck in the east of the country, killing 1 soldier and injuring 5 police officers and 7 soldiers. President Lasso said his administration was open to talks but not with Mr. Iza. Lasso added that the country is unable to engage in dialogue with those who "hold it hostage" and that "we will only return to the negotiating table when the legitimate representatives of all nations and ethnicities in Ecuador seek a real solution and are willing to engage in a genuine and frank dialogue." ”
On June 29, the country's four provincial governments declared a 30-day state of emergency. But Lasso's government said that night that it would resume negotiations under the mediation of the Catholic Church, with government minister Francisco Jimenez saying: "In order to restore peace to the Ecuadorian people, we have decided to accept the mediation provided by the Ecuadorian Bishops' Conference." ”
On June 30, the two sides resumed negotiations and reached an agreement.
The picture shows the scene of the protest
It will take time for an agreement to save the economy
Under the agreement, gasoline prices will fall by 15 cents to $2.40 per gallon, and diesel prices will fall by the same amount, from $1.90 per gallon to $1.75. That is, before the Lasso government announced a 10 cent reduction per gallon, it was then reduced by 5 cents. The agreement also limits the expansion of oil exploration areas and prohibits mining activities in protected areas, national parks and water sources. The Government has 90 days to provide solutions to the needs of indigenous groups.
"We have achieved the highest value that we all aspire to: peace in our country," Rasso tweeted. "We know that our country has a lot of differences and problems, including unresolved injustices and the fact that important population groups are still marginalized," Jimenez said. "We will continue to fight," Yiza said, adding that the protests would be suspended after a deal was reached, but some leaders were divided on some aspects of the deal.
Ecuador's finance ministry said a 15-cent drop in each of the two fuels would cost about $340 million a year. Energy Minister Xavier Villa said on the 30th that the country will begin to restore oil wells closed during the protest, with the goal of resuming most of the oil well production within a month. After closing more than 1,200 wells, Ecuador's oil production fell to 234,310 barrels per day as of June 29 from about 520,000 barrels a day before the protests.
President of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples, Yiza (left), shakes hands with government representatives
The country's Ministry of Energy said on the 28th that during the protests, Ecuador's oil production fell by 1.8 million barrels due to the blockade blocking the delivery of materials to the oil block, its Chinese oil company Ecuador Petroleum Company decreased by 1.47 million barrels, while private producers reduced by more than 385,000 barrels. Previous data showed that the country's economy lost about $50 million a day, not including oil production, a major export. But recent government figures say the protests cost about $500 million to the public oil sector, private producers of flowers and dairy products, tourism and other businesses.
In addition, farmers, urban dwellers and other social organizations in many provinces joined indigenous groups. Data show that the clashes killed at least 5 protesters, injured more than 170 and arrested 110. The government said that 1 person was killed and more than 100 people were injured and missing.
Since coming to power in May 2021, the Lasso government has reversed the policies of the former left-wing government and implemented economic reforms to fix subsidies for fuel prices. Following protests in 2019 that killed 11 people, protests against fuel prices erupted in Ecuador in October 2021. Despite the rise in international oil prices over the past few months, it has failed to benefit people's livelihoods due to the fixed subsidy policy. In addition, affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war and the epidemic, the prices of agricultural products and related raw products in the country have risen continuously, and high prices, high inflation and low employment have become the fuse of this protest.
Author: Sun Hua (Wen Wei Po correspondent in Mexico City)
Editor: Lu Shuwen
Image: Reuters Associated Press