At three locations in the Amazon, no oil can currently be produced. The reason for this is the ongoing protest in Ecuador against increased fuel prices. Demonstrators held the oil production facilities on Tuesday occupied, as the Department of Energy of the South American state announced. The three facilities normally receive 12% of Ecuadorian oil.
In Ecuador, there have been massive protests for days, fueled by a sharp rise in fuel prices. People will pay 25 percent more for gasoline and double prices for diesel fuel in the future.
Because of the social unrest, President Lenin Moreno declared a state of emergency for 60 days last week. The police arrested hundreds of people.
The demonstrators blame Moreno for raising prices as he signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March. Ecuador secured IMF credits of $ 4.2 billion (about € 3.8 billion). In return, Moreno's government was forced to cut government subsidies for fuel.
After the measure was decided, in Ecuador, the most violent disturbances in years broke out. During the week, there were massive protests in the South American country. Truckers blocked many highways, in some places demonstrators clashed with police, barricades were set on fire.
A departure from the removal of subsidies is out of the question for head of state Moreno. "Government subsidies have badly hurt the country because of the distortion of the economy," he said on television. Moreno also warned the protesters that he would not allow chaos to prevail in Ecuador. The days when vandalism and violence were common were over.
On Monday, hundreds of indigenous peasants and peasants moved to the capital, Quito, where a mass rally is planned on Wednesday.