Ecuador's President Lasso announces state of emergency in three provinces to control protests by Indigenous people demanding cuts in fuel prices in oil producer nation
A demonstrator runs with a neon tube to throw at the police during clashes in the framework of indigenous-led protests against the government of President Guillermo Lasso that began on Monday, in the surroundings of the Carondelet government palace, in Quito, on June 17, 2022.
The decree enables the president to call out the armed forces to maintain order, suspend civil rights and declare curfews. Oil producer Ecuador has been hit by rising inflation, unemployment and poverty exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Fuel prices in Ecuador have risen sharply since 2020, almost doubling for diesel from $1 to $1.90 per gallon and rising from $1.75 to $2.55 for petrol.