Ecuadorian Indigenous Peoples Say National Strike Continues

On Friday, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) President Leonidas Iza ratified that his organization will maintain the national strike as long as President Guillermo Lasso does not repeal his neoliberal policies and measures.

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He also announced that more Indigenous communities will undertake a march from the province of Cotopaxi to Quito City in the next 48 hours, for which his organization is making arrangements to guarantee some food for the thousands of protesters.

In response to what Lasso said during a national television channel on Thursday night, Iza recalled that Ecuadorian social organizations have expressed their demands on several occasions and tried to find solutions to them through dialogue processes. The government, however, has not listened to the citizens.

For this reason, the CONAIE president indicated that the Indigenous peoples and farmers will not dialogue until the neoliberal package is repealed. They will continue to carry out protest actions throughout the national territory.

Over the last five days, mainstream media has been minimizing the magnitude of the social unrest. The voices of the people, however, have been felt through social networks and independent outlets.

“The high cost of living must go down. We don't want only the price of fuel to drop but also food prices," said Pedro Tacuri, a citizen protesting in Guamani, a neighborhood through which the highway leading into the capital city passes.

"I'm not asking you not to do your job but don't attack us," said an elderly woman with a megaphone as she approached a group of police officers. "We are not lazy, we are citizens like you," she added as reported by Pichincha Comunicaciones.