Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency in seven provinces after protests broke out against the government’s decision to scrap diesel subsidies, a move that sharply raised fuel prices and triggered unrest among workers, students, and Indigenous groups.

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The decree, signed on Tuesday, covers the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Azuay, Bolívar, Cotopaxi, and Santo Domingo, citing “serious internal unrest.” The government argued that road blockades have disrupted food supply chains and paralyzed key sectors of the economy. The order suspends the right of assembly and authorizes police and military forces to disperse public gatherings deemed a threat to security.

The end of subsidies pushed diesel prices from \$1.80 to \$2.80 per gallon. Unions and student groups say the increase will worsen the cost of living. Truck drivers blocked highways on Monday, with police later clearing the roads without reports of injuries. On Tuesday morning, sections of the Panamericana Norte highway at Quito’s northern entrance were blocked with stones and mounds of earth.

Ecuador has a history of mass mobilizations over fuel policy. Former presidents Lenín Moreno (2017–2021) and Guillermo Lasso (2021–2023) both faced major protests, led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), after attempting similar measures.

Discontent now extends to other issues. In Cuenca, capital of Azuay province, demonstrators prepared to march against a Canadian mining project. Addressing crowds there, CONAIE president Marlon Vargas demanded the repeal of the decree ending subsidies, saying it “harms the impoverished sector, the Ecuadorian people.”

The United Workers Front (FUT), Ecuador’s largest labor federation, has announced a nationwide protest for September 23. University students in Quito also called for demonstrations later on Tuesday.

With diesel prices rising and demonstrations spreading, Noboa faces one of the first major challenges of his presidency, as unions, students, and Indigenous movements rally against economic measures they argue disproportionately affect the poor.

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