Quito – Ecuador’s defense minister on Tuesday warned the country’s democracy is in danger as internal protesters attacked the prosecutor’s office and anti-government demonstrations and rising fuel prices in Quito rose.
The Ecuadorian capital has been virtually paralyzed by growing signs of food and fuel shortages and clashes between local protesters and police. In the morning the protesters broke the wheels of the buses, forcing passengers to walk.
In a national broadcast, Defense Minister Luis Lara said the military is “concerned about the developments between the manipulation of public protests and the escalation of violence by those who reject dialogue”.
“These actions go beyond the citizen protest; “This is a deliberate attempt to use violence to endanger democracy and institutions.”
The violence marked the escalation of protests that began eight days earlier, when a powerful indigenous confederation called for an indefinite strike in support of President Guillermo Lasso. Themes.
Local media footage showed damage to the University of Salsiana, near the Ecuadorian prosecutor’s office, the focal point of the protests. Office officials asked police and military for help and said they moved files containing sensitive information to a safe place to avoid damage to the investigation.
In October 2019, on the occasion of similar protests by locals, a group broke into the government control office, set fire to the building and destroyed files.
The strike severely affected six provinces in northern Ecuador, but protesters also blocked roads, causing fuel and food shortages in many parts of the country, including the capital.
The group, made up of Ecuadorian universities, the Catholic Church, delegations to the United Nations and the Organization of American States and 300 other institutions, called the government and local groups a “serious economic, social and political crisis in Ecuador”.
The authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the military ”.
The Department of Energy used contractual clauses that prevented hydrocarbon operators from suing for defaulting contracts because the protest related to products. Protesters infiltrated oil fields, forcing companies to close around 609 wells in the Amazon, resulting in a loss of around 30,000 barrels per day.
Also on Tuesday, prosecutors said on Twitter that they are launching an investigation into “allegedly contaminated water supplies entering treatment plants” in the city of Ambato, a town of about 170,000.
According to information received from the Andean city, the water came out in at least seven sectors with a dark color and the smell of burnt engine oil. Three years ago, demonstrators’ sabotage cut off the water supply of Ambato, 131 kilometers (81 mi) south of the capital.
Source: Washington Post
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
