Ecuador’s government appears to be set on a collision course with Indigenous communities. After months of instability, including an 18-day strike and weeks of protests and blockades, an agreement was finally reached between the government and the country’s largest Indigenous group the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). The deal includes a reduction in fuel prices and a limit on the expansion of oil exploration areas.
But the unrest looks likely to continue as, not for the first time in the divided country, a fierce argument rages over how Ecuador is run and for whose benefit. President Guillermo Lasso, a former banker, won Ecuador’s 2021 election with a promise of reviving the debt-ridden economy. Shortly after taking office, he announced plans to work with international private companies to exploit the country’s natural resources, passing two decrees which smoothed the way for more oil and mining extraction, including in the Amazon region.
