The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, in a message broadcast on the national network this Tuesday, June 28, announced that the Government will not continue with the talks that have been taking place since last Monday with the leadership of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie ) for considering that it cannot dialogue while there are no guarantees.
The Ecuadorian indigenous movement has mobilized the country since June 13 in an indefinite strike due to the high cost of living and in rejection of the economic policies of the Government of Guillermo Lasso. The indigenous leader Leonidas Iza, president of Conaie, is meeting at Liceo Matovelle with the guarantors of the talks, trying to resume talks.
Lasso expressed that “you cannot sit down to talk with those who intend to hijack the peace of Ecuadorians”, referring to the events that occurred in the early hours of this Tuesday, June 28, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, where a soldier died in middle of the demonstrations.
“A convoy guarding fuel tankers in Shushufindi was attacked by 100 violent people. As a result of this reprehensible act, the sergeant of our Armed Forces, José Chimarro, passed away. To his wife, Carmen, and his children, Derlin and Alison, my sincere condolences,” Lasso said.
The president also reported that 12 officials of the National Police and the Armed Forces are injured, some seriously, assuring that they were attacked with firearms and spears. In addition, he denounced that in the province of Azuay, the members of the protests prevented the passage of a convoy that was transporting oxygen destined to treat patients from hospitals in the southern province of the country, which he described as a criminal act.
“We are not going to negotiate with those who hold Ecuador hostage; with those who attack our security forces and play with the health and life of Ecuadorians. As long as the necessary guarantees do not exist, the dialogue process cannot continue”, asserted the Andean president.
To this he added that the government has given “concrete responses to the demands of the organizations” and that they will not sit down again to dialogue with Leonidas Iza, of whom he denounced “he only defends his political interests and not those of the bases.” Only when there are legitimate representatives of all the indigenous peoples and nationalities of Ecuador, who seek true solutions and are open to real and frank dialogue, will they return to the dialogue table.”
Lasso added that apart from Iza, the Government is willing to talk and meet the demands.
“Indigenous brothers, you deserve more than an opportunist as a leader, who has deceived you and an entire country, we are ready to meet your demands, because we know that the State has forgotten the countryside and its communities for more than 40 years. We are going to work for you with effective solutions”, he expressed.
The Conaie responds to the suspension of the dialogue
After the statements made by the president of Ecuador, Conaie published its response through its Twitter and Facebook accounts, demanding respect from its leadership and accusing Lasso of authoritarianism.
The government breaks off the dialogue confirming its authoritarianism, lack of will and incapacity.
We hold responsible @LassoGuillermo of the consequences of its warmongering policy. We demand respect for our maximum leader.
Lasso doesn’t break up with Leonidas, he breaks up with the people.#CONAIE pic.twitter.com/uPJkPYysoL— CONAIE (@CONAIE_Ecuador) June 28, 2022
Hours later, the president of Conaie asked the protesters outside the Matovelle Lyceum to remain calm, reporting that the dialogue with the Government has not yet ended at the facilities and that he will be promptly informed of the progress and decisions made there. take.
He also asked those who are at the House of Culture, at the Central University, Salesian University and La Gasca to stay together without taking any action.
The guarantors ask for a continuation of the dialogue
The president of the National Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela, the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Diana Atamaint, and the president of the Transparency Office, César Córdova, agreed that the talks must continue and called on Lasso to return to the dialogue.
“Mr. President, the dialogue that your government has attended is open. We, as guarantors, are willing to meet at the time it is necessary. We summon again. On our part, we cannot consider it finished”, expressed Atamaint.
The president of the Transparency Function also insisted that these dialogues are the only way that can lead to a solution to the conflict and rejected acts of violence, “wherever they come from.”
Conflict timeline
Since last June 13, the Cofeniae, an Amazon subsidiary of the Conaie, declared the beginning of the protests, after five indigenous organizations -among them Fenocín, Feine and Conaie- agreed to express their commitment the day before. with establishing indefinite manifestations until they were given an answer and a solution to their demands.
Then, in the early hours of the 13th, they began to close the roads. According to Conaie, 16 provinces joined the strike and 69 points in the country were closed. During the first day the first confrontations between the police and protesters took place, thus beginning the arrests, President Guillermo Lasso assured that the detainees were material and intellectual authors of what he described as acts of vandalism.
On June 14, the main leader of the protests, Leonidas Iza, president of Conaie, was arrested and was kept in custody in the city of Latacunga accused of sabotage, however, 24 hours later he was released with alternative measures.
Five days after the start of the protests, Guillermo Laso launched a state of emergency in Pichincha, Imbabura and Cotopaxi, alleging serious internal commotion, which he would extend two days later by adding the provinces of Chimborazo, Tungurahua and Pastaza. 48 hours later, the president finally agrees to mediation for dialogue.
On the day of Wednesday 22, the protesters attacked the building of the State Attorney General’s Office. That day, Conaie demanded that the Government eliminate the state of exception, demilitarize the House of Culture and the ‘El Arbolito’ park in order to accept the dialogue.
The next day, the Government agreed to withdraw the police and the Armed Forces from the House of Culture and Conaie took the place, however the clashes in the park intensified and left the first deceased.
On Friday, the Correismo bloc in the National Assembly collected 43 signatures for the presidential impeachment to be discussed in the next 24 hours, for his part Lasso declared that he will take more radical measures to minimize the demonstrations and closed dialogue with the president of the Conaie.
However, on Saturday Iza attended the Basilica of the National Vote to participate in a meeting with government officials, the next day Lasso announced the reduction of 10 cents in the price of extra gasoline, eco-country and diesel, during that Sunday no protests.
This Monday, the Conaie, Feine and Fenocin went to the Basilica to deepen the dialogue with representatives of the Government, but without the presence of the president. There they insisted on the reduction of 40 cents in the price of gasoline.
But the dialogue was paralyzed this Tuesday 28, after the president decided to suspend them, alleging the acts of violence that occurred at dawn, where a soldier died in the framework of one of the protests.
What Organizations Demand
The Conaie has defended the indefinite strike during these weeks and has conditioned the end of this in 10 points that collect their concerns and disagreements. Among what is required of the state is the fuel price reduction in the Andean country and a state commitment so that prices do not increase again. This issue is one of the most claimed by the organization and a fundamental axis to understand the protests.
On the other hand, the organization requests the economic relief for more than 4 million families with a moratorium of at least one year and renegotiation of debts with reduction of interest rates in the financial system (public and private banks and cooperatives). This also provides that the assets of these families cannot be seized.
To this must be added a series of requirements with regard to basic services that the indigenous claim not to have from the State. Among other things, reasonable prices are requested in accordance with the economic situation of these groups, employment opportunities and labor rights, access to higher education and improvement of basic education or the reinforcement of security in areas highly affected by violence, drug trafficking or The kidnappings.
Lastly, in economic matter The commitment to price control of basic necessities has been demanded, since the organization accuses intermediaries of wanting to profit, and they bet on the end of the privatization of strategic sectors, most of them related to the energy industry . The latter are difficult to materialize, since they collide head-on with Lasso’s economic program, based on economic liberation.
Impact
More than 14,000 indigenous people remain mobilized nationwide, clashes with the police have left at least seven dead and, according to the authorities, around 200 wounded between soldiers and police.
Shortages have also been observed, paralysis in some shops, increase in prices of products in the basic basket and basic necessities. According to the Police Department of Pichincha, several supermarkets in the country have increased the prices of eggs, chicken, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and broccoli, among others, without permission.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Energy and Mines announced a possible and very close stoppage of oil production, due to the closure of roads and the seizure of wells that prevent the transport of supplies and diesel that is required to keep the fields operational. tankers.
If this happens, not only the fuel supply in the country will be affected, but also exports. This Monday the total production of oil was less than half of that reached before the protests, it has fallen 1.8 million barrels during the last 15 days.
“In 15 days, the State has stopped receiving USD166.4 million in the oil sector. So far, 1,199 wells have been closed, 85% of which belong to Petroecuador,” the Ministry reported in a statement published on Tuesday.
impeachment request
This Tuesday, the National Assembly advanced session 782 where the 137 legislators connected virtually discuss the proposal of the 47 assembly members of UNES who requested the removal of the president, alleging “serious political crisis and internal commotion” stipulated in numeral 2 of the article 130 of the Constitution of Ecuador.
In order for this measure requested by the caucus to end former President Rafael Correa to be applied, two-thirds of the chamber must vote in favor, that is, the approval of 92 of the 137 legislators. However, from the Government they have been convinced that the mechanism will not prosper in the National Assembly.
This Tuesday the vice president of the Assembly, Yeseña Guamaní, is the one who directs the session, in the absence of the president of the legislature who remains as guarantor in the dialogues.
With Reuters, EFE, AFP and local media.
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