Thousands of indigenous protesters left Quito on Thursday night after an agreement with the government to lower fuel prices and end more than two weeks of protests over the high cost of living that left six dead.
"Surely we are tired (…) So it’s time to go back to the house"said the leader of the protest, Leonidas Iza, before some 4,000 indigenous people who took over the House of Culture, a symbolic place for them in Quito.
Conservative president Guillermo Lasso celebrated on Twitter: "We have achieved the supreme value to which we all aspire: peace in our country".
"The strike ended. Now we begin together the task of transforming this peace into progress, well-being, and opportunities for all"he added.
The aborigines returned peacefully in buses and trucks, waving Ecuadorian flags and the wiphala of the original peoples, AFP journalists confirmed.
The pact provides for a reduction of five cents per gallon in the price of diesel and gasoline, in addition to the 10 cents already granted by the Executive. The aborigines demanded a cut of 40 cents.
With the mediation of the Catholic Church, Iza, president of the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie), and Francisco Jiménez, Minister of Government, signed the agreement that established the cessation of the demonstrations and established the creation of a dialogue table.
The Executive must also lift a state of exception that enabled the presence of soldiers on the streets of four provinces due to "violent acts" and shortages due to the protests.
The agreement also provides for the repeal of a decree for the delivery of new oil fields and the reform of another to limit the extraction of minerals in indigenous territories and water protection zones.
At the event, held at the headquarters of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference (CEE), the indigenous leaders joined hands in a chain and raised them in triumph.
Marches and roadblocks
The new fuel prices will come into force once the president issues a decree.
Lasso, who took power 13 months ago, was saved Tuesday from being impeached by Congress, where a majority but divided opposition blamed him for the political crisis. His detractors lacked twelve votes to gather the 92 to dismiss him.
A previous attempt at negotiations between the government and indigenous people had been suspended by Lasso on Tuesday, a day after it began, after an attack on a military and police convoy in the Amazon attributed to protesters, with the balance of one uniformed officer killed and 12 others injured. .
The demonstrations, which led to clashes with the security forces and marches by some 10,000 indigenous people in Quito, left at least six dead and 600 injured, including agents and demonstrators, and 150 detainees, according to various sources.
Another 4,000 people also mobilized outside the capital, stopping roads in 19 of the 24 provinces.
To open the way for dialogue, Lasso decided on Sunday to lower the prices of a gallon of diesel (to $1.80) and regular gasoline (to $2.45) by 10 cents on the dollar, which represents for the State about 230 million dollars a year.
Before, it had already raised an economic bonus for the poorest from 50 to 55 dollars and forgiven peasant debts of up to 3,000 dollars with public banks.
"Prepare fight days"
Conaie maintains the request to focus more fuel subsidies on farmers, which before the protests already represented 3,000 million dollars a year.
"The targeting of subsidies must reach those who need it most"expressed the indigenous leader at his rally at the cultural center, where the natives gathered after standing with handmade shields outside the CEE headquarters.
The Conaie, which participated in revolts that overthrew three presidents between 1997 and 2005, said on Twitter that in ninety days it will evaluate compliance with the agreements.
Before bidding farewell to his "companions"Iza called them to the unit to "prepare the next fight days"to look at "achieve fairer and more inclusive societies".
Lasso in turn met with his ministerial cabinet to "continue the coordination of the best actions for the benefit of Ecuadorians"as he himself pointed out on Twitter.
Conaie also led protests in 2019 against the elimination of fuel subsidies, which left eleven dead.
The indigenous represent one million of the 17.7 million Ecuadorians.
Ecuador estimated losses of 50 million dollars for each day of demonstrations, which reduced oil production by less than half (from 520,000 barrels per day as of June 12) and threatened to stop all hydrocarbon activity.
