Ecuadorian security forces reportedly entered Amazonian communities in Orellana with violence on the morning of September 21, according to the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).

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In a video posted on social media, two gunshots can be heard as a few people run and scream. Meanwhile, in the distance, four pickup trucks carrying more than a dozen members of the National Police and Armed Forces (FF.AA.) can be seen approaching.

The text reads: @nawe_org alerts about the repression in #Mintaro: public security forces detained 2 community members during a local action against #PetroEcuador’s failure to fulfill commitments in #Yasuní.

According to the Waorani Nationality of Ecuador (Nawe), members of the Mintaro community held a protest on Saturday “in response to the failure to fulfill social and environmental repair commitments” by the state oil company Petroecuador in blocks 31 and 43, located within Yasuní National Park.

During the demonstration, “leaders, youth, women, and children from Mintaro were repressed by public security forces.” Two of the protesters were detained by the Armed Forces.

Furthermore, the organization rejected the Army’s account, emphasizing that the community’s actions were not related to the national strike against Noboa’s fuel policies.

The text reads: The NAWE rejects the Army’s version. What happened in Mintaro, block 31 of #Yasuní, was a community action in response to PetroEcuador’s failures, not part of the national strike. The Waorani are not terrorists; we are defenders of life.

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