CONAIE, an indigenous “nightmare” movement of the presidents of Ecuador

The drop in the price of fuel announced by the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, has not satisfied the indigenous protesters, who consider the reduction of 10 cents on the dollar “insufficient and insensitive”, although they finally agreed to meet with the government after 15 days of protests. The dialogue was in, we’ll see this Tuesday, later the death of a soldier

To add to the seriousness, the National Assembly is debating this week on the possible dismissal of Lasso, amid the blockade of routes and marches by an indigenous movement that, in recent years, became a powerful political force in Ecuador.

The Andean country has won the reputation of ungovernable with the sudden departure of three presidents over the past 25 years. What put them in check was the CONAIconfederation of indigenous nationalities, which brings together 18 peoples and 14 nationalities of the country.

Its mobilizing power It is the nightmare of leaders. These days Guillermo Lasso is facing what are already indigenous protests longer than recent history from Ecuador.

Pablo Iturralde, director of CDES, the Center for Economic and Social Rights, analyzed the keys to the strength of this movement.

“The indigenous movement is not just an ethnic organization, but rather an organization that shares needs that are part of the needs and interests national and popularthey come to feel sympathy within the middle class and the upper middle class, as is the case now, “he explains

And he continues: “Here they are a constitutive part of national identity, like the most impoverished population who usually constitute the vanguard of social and have an organization that other sectors do not have. It is a form of organization municipal and ancestral that you will not find in a marginal country, which you will not find in a trade union confederation, or in any other popular sector “.

The prison crisis, drug trafficking and parliamentary fragmentation do not even help the stability of the Lazo government. Although this timemilitary forceshistorically cautious with the demonstrations of the Ecuadorian people, they have closed ranks around the constitutional order.

Iturralde indicated that the military “They anticipate the control of the streets, they make arrests but in a much softer way than the police force “

“When everything is out of control, the high-ranking military must decide between repressing with great force or backing down. This was the turning point for a government whether supportive or not, but already in the development of the demonstration they had a repressive role, according to various complaints e we don’t really know what will happen in the next few days“, He says.

Although progress is being made at the dialogue table, with a first face-to-face between the parties this Monday, the measures announced by the president do not currently meet indigenous bases.

died

These protests have resulted victims on both sidesyes At least four indigenous protesters have died in recent days in clashes with security forces and several soldiers have disappeared or been kidnapped, according to the army.

This Tuesday he called the head of the joint command of the armed forces, Nelson Proaño “terrorist act” Tuesday’s attack on a convoy carrying fuel, in which a soldier died, in the Amazon region of the country.

Proaño said that due to indigenous mobilizations, which have affected the normal fuel supplythe Armed Forces, in coordination with the National Police and the public company Petroecuador, have articulated “the transfer of 17 diesel tankers from Shushufindi to the ITT oil block to maintain production of the hydrocarbon system and prevent its collapse”.

Last Sunday, the Ministry of Energy and Mines warned that, due to the closure of roads and vandalism in the wells, recorded as part of the indigenous protests, in two days oil production would stopthe main export product of the Andean country.

In a statement to the press by the Ministry of Defense, Proaño reported that in the early hours of this Tuesday “illegal armed groups blocked and attacked with firearms military and police personnel.

Indeed one soldier died and seven other army members were injuredin addition to five police officers, who were evacuated by air, indicated pointing out that a Petroecuador truck was also set on fire during the event.

The death of the soldier is added to five others that occurred in the context of the protests, in which about 400 injured among protesters and police.

The protests were marked by roadblocks, roadblocks and the concentration of thousands of indigenous community members in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.

The novelty comes at a time when the government and Leonidas Iza, president of CONAIE, the main organizer of the protests, and other community leaders, intend to initiate a second day of talks in which they address the demands of the demonstrators.

It also happens on the day when the debate in the National Assembly (Parliament) will resume a request for dismissal of the head of state, Guillermo Lasso, raised from the bench relating to former president Rafael Correa (2007-2017).

With information from Pablo Martinez Vega, RFI and EFE

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