A day after President Guillermo Lasso announced that he would no longer negotiate with “opportunist” Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza, the government revealed that it will now enter into talks mediated by the local Episcopal Conference. The u-turn comes after previous failed attempts at dialogue and reaching a compromise resulted in increasingly violent confrontations between protesters and security forces.
Minister of Government Francisco Jiménez stressed that the government “will not fail to take actions” that “guarantee peace.”
Keeping in mind the increased unrest, Lasso has simultaneously imposed a state of emergency in four provinces—Azuay to the south, Imbabura to the north, and Sucumbios and Orellana to the east—due to “serious internal commotion.” This came just four days after Lasso repealed the state of emergency in six states as a concessionary measure.
🔴El gobierno de @LassoGuillermo acepta la mediación de la Conferencia Episcopal Ecuatoriana @Confepec, y pone como condición que no se den actos de violencia - mientras el estado mantiene fuertes represiones.#ParoNacionalEc2022 #ParenLaMasacre https://t.co/9GhJge6GK0
— Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos (@DDHH_Alianza) June 30, 2022
The new decree is designed to establish a “security zone” around oil fields and hydrocarbon extraction sites in the Amazonian region.
The mayor of Quito, Santiago Guarderas, has also asked Lasso to reimpose the state of emergency in the capital city.
The new measures come against the backdrop of increased police aggression, particularly in Quito. Security forces have reportedly used tear gas and “potentially lethal forms of ammunition, such as buckshot,” and have even targeted children.
It is anticipated that these clashes could intensify even further after the Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC) announced a “massive and forceful mobilisation” to Quito on Thursday in an effort to “demand the national government to respond to the 10 points raised by CONAIE.”
🚨The UN #ChildRightsCommittee urges 🇪🇨 #Ecuador to cease excessive use of #violence against #children 🚸, protect all children & adolescents during #indigenouspeople #protests, and investigate its security forces. #ChildLivesMatter
— UN Treaty Bodies (@UNTreatyBodies) June 28, 2022
👉https://t.co/FdLHhaHEOX pic.twitter.com/CH8dhCu7x0
Just on Tuesday, Lasso announced his refusal to engage in further negotiations with Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) leader Leonidas Iza, who has been at the forefront of the anti-government demonstrations. Lasso accused Iza of being an “opportunist” and self-serving, adding that there shall be no “dialogue with those who intend to kidnap the peace of Ecuadorians.”
His decision followed a mob attack by over 100 men on a military convoy guarding oil tankers that resulted in the death of a military officer. Lasso claimed he was “attacked with firearms and spears,” in an incident that left five police officers and seven soldiers injured.
Lasso condemned the “cowardly” attack, and stated that the government will not “negotiate with those who hold Ecuador hostage; with those who attack our security forces and play with the health and lives of Ecuadorians.”
El país ha sido testigo de todos los intentos que hemos tenido por dialogar pero no podremos hacerlo con quienes pretenden secuestrar la paz del Ecuador. ¡Eso no lo vamos tolerar! Hago un llamado a unidad y a la defensa de la democracia.pic.twitter.com/uw3OiylVaw
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) June 28, 2022
He added that he continues to “defend democracy” and would only return to dialogue with the “legitimate representatives of all the Indigenous peoples and nationalities,” who are committed to finding “real solutions.”
While Indiegenous leader Iza acknowledged the “brutal attack,” he pointed out that there exists no evidence of protesters’ involvement in the killing.
Iza added that he has received death threats, but affirmed that he will not “bend a mobilisation, a right, which has never been for vandalism, but for answers that allow us to move forward.”
Though the state of emergency was lifted, I remain concerned about the situation in Ecuador where the govt is violently repressing Indigenous protests demanding economic reform & collective rights.
— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) June 26, 2022
I urge President Lasso to end the violent response & engage in peaceful dialogue. https://t.co/slHqeRgt8V
He further called on the government to refrain from imposing conditions on whom it is willing to hold dialogue with and instead “an attitude of peace, of dialogue, no more warlike attitudes.”
The intensification of the government’s response closely follows Lasso surviving an impeachment attempt in the National Assembly on Tuesday. The motion received 80 votes in favour, short of the required 92. Lasso welcomed this and said that “despite the coup attempts, today the country's institutions prevailed,” adding that it was now “evident who works for the political mafias.”
Lasso has repeatedly accused the CONAIE of attempting to overthrow his government, with the group credited for unseating three presidents in the country between 1997 and 2005.
Demonstrations in the country first started on June 13 and have intensified ever since, with people demanding measures to address the high cost of living, which has disproportionately impacted the country’s Indigenous inhabitants, numbering around one million of Ecuador’s 17.7 million people.
Ecuador 🇪🇨
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) June 23, 2022
The economy has collapsed. The public are taking to the streets to protest against the cost of living crisis - cost of lockdowns crisis. #Ecuador pic.twitter.com/M6Xa9QPrwN
So far, eight people, including a security officer, have died due to the unrest, with prolonged road blockades causing food, fuel, and medicinal shortages. In fact, Lasso has expressed concerns over disruptions to transportation of critical medical supplies, claiming that “we are hours away from people dying due to lack of oxygen. It is a criminal act to play with the lives of innocent people.”
The unrest has also spelt major economic woes for the oil-rich nation, with daily losses to the tune of $50 million. State-run oil company Petroecuador has also indicated that it may need to delay exports, with oil production being severely constrained due to ongoing protests.
The Energy Ministry has said that it has suffered a reduction of 1.47 million barrels, with private producers having lost more than 385,000 barrels. “In 15 days the state has stopped receiving $166.4 million in the oil sector. Up to now 1,199 wells have been shut, 85% belonging to Petroecuador,” it said in a statement. As of Monday, the oil-exporting nation’s total production reached a low of 234,496 barrels per day (bpd), less than half the output of about 520,000 bpd before the protests began.
The government has attempted to appease the protesters with multiple concessions including fuel price cuts, subsidised fertilisers, debt forgiveness, budget increases for health and education, and reduced cooking oil prices. However, these measures have been deemed “insensitive and insufficient” by CONAIE, which demands further price reductions, a guarantee against new oil and mining projects, free access to universities, a debt moratorium for poor families, and subsidies for small farmers.