With road closures, a day of mobilization called by the indigenous sector begins in Ecuador

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(CNN Spanish) --

Ecuador is experiencing this Monday a day of national mobilization called by the indigenous movement, for which the Ecuadorian government set up a security operation to contain the effects of the protests, according to the Integrated Security Service Ecu 911 .

The protest is led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities, Conaie, which this Sunday called on various sectors to join a national day of mobilization against the Government.

The indigenous movement demands a reduction in fuel prices, attention to the problem of unemployment, regulation of the prices of farm products and a fight against crime and insecurity, among other points.

The morning began with the closure of 20 roads in the country, as reported by the Police to CNN, although 4 of them were later enabled after a process of dialogue with the protesters.

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The police commander, Fausto Salinas, said that the "progressive use of force protocols" will be used in the event that the demonstrators incur acts of violence or vandalism.

Defense Minister Luis Lara told CNN that the Armed Forces will not allow "another October 2019" to occur in Ecuador, referring to the protests called by Conaie that paralyzed the country for 10 days, causing damage to infrastructure, property public and private, arrests, injuries and deaths.

Lara indicated that 2,500 members of the Armed Forces have been deployed to take care of the country's strategic areas such as oil wells and hydroelectric plants, among others.

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For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, insisted that this mobilization occurs at a delicate moment for the country, which is trying to reactivate and get out of the effects of the pandemic.

In addition, he pointed out that the public force has to focus on attending to the mobilization, when there is a crisis of violence and high crime in Ecuador.

Indigenous people and peasants block a highway in San Juan de Pastocalle, Cotopaxi province, Ecuador, in the early hours of this Monday, June 13, 2022. (Photo by CRISTINA VEGA RHOR/AFP via Getty Images)

For his part, the national director of Ecu 911, Juan Zapata, told CNN that it is inevitable that the population will feel the effects of a day of mobilization and that the main impact will be economic, by blocking the passage on several roads.

Zapata emphasized that road closures are sanctioned by law.

In a press conference this Sunday, the president of the Conaie, Leonidas Iza, guaranteed that the protests will be peaceful and rejected the accusations of violence by government officials.

This Sunday, President Guillermo Lasso asked Conaie to “reflect”, and specified that a stoppage is not good for the country because it needs to produce and reactivate.

“Stopping is the worst thing we can do,” Lasso said.

Through a statement, the Ministry of Government ratified its openness to dialogue and called on the organizations that participate in the mobilizations to "express their opinions in a peaceful manner, within the framework of public order, respect for the Constitution and the State of Law".

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