The last couple of weeks have increasingly seen widespread protest, marches, mobilisations in the whole of Ecuador. Now, since Monday March 13, the people - above all those affiliated to the many and strong workers, farmers and indigenous movements and organisations that exist in the country - have risen to protest against the signing of the Free Trade Agreement with the USA, which is currently being negotiated, against the contract between the state and the US oil company OXY, against Plan Colombia (and its consequences for the relation between Ecuador and its neighbour Colombia), against the US military base of Manta, and in defense of life, self-determination, and "our water, agriculture, land and seeds". The uprising has been initiated above all by CONAIE (Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas del Ecuador,  http://www.conaie.org), who are calling on all sectors of society to join them.


The anti-imperialist demands are accompanied by a handful of provinces' strikes for a bigger share of the country's economic resources, and for the completion of major road works and other infrastructure. The local authorities of the Amazonian provinces Orellana and Napo have been arrested for calling for strikes, but are now mostly released again.


A State of Emergency has been declared in the whole of the Amazon region, with its Northern part (oil company territory) now basically militarised.


Virtually all traffic on the important motorway linking the Andean countries, the Panamericana, is blocked with burning tyres,felled trees and rocks. Other roads are unpassable in the following (Andean) provinces: in the North, in Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, in the Central Andes, in Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Bolivar, Chimborazo, in the South, in Cañar, Azuay, Loja and Zamora. Some roads are blocked in the coastal region, and in the Amazonian province of Pastaza.


A march of initially 600 people - above all of indigenous nationalities - is making its way from different locations in the Amazon region up into the central highlands and towards Quito. It is yet unclear when they will arrive in the capital, but presumably before or during this weekend. More marches towards the capital are being planned.


In Quito, major protests are taking place, especially by students and are met with major police repression and fire arms. The Metropolitan Cathedral has been occupied by farmers from the "Farmer's Social Security" (farmers have the right to a social security payment in Ecuador) who are now concerned about an imminent violent raid.


Police and military force employed against the protestors all over the country has been high, many people arrested, hurt or wounded, including infants, children, women and elderly.


The interior minister, Alfredo Castillo, resigned today and denounced the way the government has handled the crisis. It has to be said, however, that Castillo is the third interior minister to resign from his post in just 11 months. The president, Alfredo Palacio, while trying to reassure the protestors that his government will not act to harm indigenous and farmer communities, is not doing anything to stop the excessive use of force by the military in an attempt to disperse the road blocks. Palacio took office as interim president after his predecessor, Lucio Gutierrez, originally supported by the indigenous movement, was forced out last April by popular protest after breaking several of his promises.



For more info in Spanish see:  http://ecuador.indymedia.org

For more news articles in English see:  http://www.americas.org/region_26

For more background info on Ecuador (unfortunately only until 2003) see:  http://www.zmag.org/lam/ecuadorwatch.htm



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