The government of Ecuador and the indigenous movement reached an agreement this Thursday (30) to end the protests against the high cost of living in the country, which lasted 18 days and left six dead, including a soldier, and about 500 injured. between protesters and security forces.
The indigenous and peasant organizations that led the protests agreed to suspend the mobilizations after the government promised to lift the state of emergency, lower the price of subsidized fuel by 15 cents and stop granting mining concessions in natural reserves, intangible zones, areas of water recharge and indigenous territories.
The agreements were announced at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference, which acted as a mediator between the two parties to resume a dialogue that had started last Monday, but was interrupted by the government the following day after the death of a military man. in a clash between protesters and security forces.
Under this commitment, 85-octane gasoline will cost US$2.40 per gallon (3.78 liters) and diesel US$1.75, despite the indigenous movement’s demand that it be reduced to US$2.10 and $1.50, respectively, prices similar to a year ago.
The final deal marks an additional $0.05 per gallon cut on top of the $0.10 reduction already announced by Lasso on Sunday night.
Prior to this commitment, the government had already partially met other demands of the indigenous movement, such as the repeal of Decree 95, which promoted oil activity in the Amazon.
It had also approved the forgiveness of overdue debts to peasant families of up to US$ 3,000, the reduction of interest on current loans, and promised to subsidize up to 50% of the cost of urea, the increase of collateral for vulnerable families from US$ 50 to US$ 55, doubling the intercultural education budget and declaring the health system in an emergency.
The other ten points on the indigenous movement’s list of demands will be dealt with in working groups, such as the forgiveness of debts of up to US$ 10,000, price control of basic necessities and the non-privatization of state-owned companies.
In exchange for the cessation of the protests, the government promised to revoke the new state of exception decreed the day before in four provinces of the country where several episodes of violence and shortages of essential products such as fuel and medical oxygen were concentrated.
The signing of the agreement was attended by the Minister of the Government, Francisco Jiménez, who has been the interlocutor of the government of President Guillermo Lasso with the organizers of the protests.
On the other side was the main leader of the protests, Leonidas Iza, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), with whom Lasso had said on Tuesday that the Ecuadorian government would not talk again, because he considered him an “opportunist”. that did not represent the interests of indigenous peoples.
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