Ecuador Declares New State Of Emergency As Protesters Demand Talks

Quito, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jun, 2022 ) :Ecuador called a fresh state of emergency on Wednesday as Indigenous people marched in the capital Quito to call for a restart of talks with the government, more than two weeks into disruptive and often violent daily rallies against rising living costs.

Negotiations to end the protests that have rocked the South American country were suspended on Tuesday -- on what would have been their second day -- after the government blamed the death of a soldier on demonstrators.

And while protesters demanded a return to the negotiating table, President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in four of the 24 provinces in which the presidency said the "most violence is concentrated." That did not, however, include the capital, where most of an estimated 14,000 protesters have congregated.

Chanting: "We don't want ten cents, we want results," several hundred people demonstrated in the city center, near the seat of government, which was blocked off by police, metal fencing and razor wire.

A protester with a traditional red poncho leading a group of men with makeshift shields addressed the rest by megaphone: "We will stay here until the President of the Republic reinstates the dialogue.

" He added: "If we need to sleep here... we will." Lasso has instead imposed a month-long state of emergency on the provinces of Azuay, Imbabura, Sucumbios and Orellana, the general secretary of presidential communication said.

The aim is to create a "security zone" around the country's oil wells and protect food, medicine and fuel supplies in those provinces, as well as oxygen used in hospitals.

Those provinces are the ones where the "most violence against the physical integrity of people and the provision of fuel is concentrated," said the presidency.

It said the measure, in which the military will be deployed alongside police and demonstrations are banned, aims to ensure "the correct functioning of the strategic sectors that are vital for the economy."Lasso had lifted a previous state of emergency in six other provinces -- including Pichincha, where the capital lies -- on Saturday in one of several concessions to protesters.