Overview

• The Armed Forces submitted a formal complaint to prosecutors alleging 17 soldiers were kidnapped in Cotacachi, Imbabura, and the case was assigned to specialized anti-kidnapping investigators.
• Conaie denied holding any military personnel and characterized the kidnapping claims as an invention intended to justify security incursions.
• Road blockades persisted into the ninth day of the strike, with disruptions concentrated in Imbabura following the diesel subsidy’s removal.
• The government reported 12 wounded service members and President Daniel Noboa accused protesters of ambushing a humanitarian convoy in Otavalo.
• A government spokesperson said there will be no negotiation or reversal on the diesel subsidy, the U.N. called for an end to military repression, and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a visit to discuss where U.S. bases would be installed.