The Ecuadorian government is attempting to regain control of the city of Puyo in the country’s Amazon region, after heavy clashes that set a police station on fire during demonstrations against President Guillermo Lasso’s economic policies.
The protests have been going on for more than a week, as protesters and key indigenous groups resent the increased supply of food and other essentials.
The protests – longer and larger than the protests against rising food prices in October last year – are testing Lasso’s ability to stimulate the country’s economy and create jobs. Lasso has a hostile relationship with the country’s National Assembly, where he has fought to contain the escalation of violence, which lawmakers have blocked and blamed on drug trafficking gangs.
Protesters carrying firearms, spears and explosives clashed with soldiers in Puyo, Pastaza province, on Tuesday night, Interior Minister Patricio Carillo said.
Protesters set fire to a police station and patrol cars, tried to loot a bank and attacked civilians, blaming radical groups for the events, Carillo told reporters.
“We cannot guarantee public safety in Puyo at this time, all police infrastructure has been burned and the entrance to the city is under siege,” he said.
Leaders of Amazonian indigenous communities said in a statement that they denied vandalism in Puyo and accused security forces of escalating violence in the city.
source: Noticias
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