Overview
- President Daniel Noboa told CNN that chocolate and jam gifted at a public event tested positive for three very high‑concentration toxic substances that he said could not be accidental.
- The military unit in charge of his protection has filed a formal complaint with Ecuadorian prosecutors over the alleged poisoning.
- Noboa’s government frames the episode as the latest in a series of attempts on his life, citing earlier claims of bullet marks on his vehicle and separate attacks with rocks, Molotov cocktails and homemade projectiles.
- Large Indigenous-led roadblocks over diesel and fuel costs have roiled the country since late September, with the government imposing emergency measures before the movement later eased after threats of military clearance and a pledge to lower diesel prices in stages.
- Analysts question the timing and motives of the allegations as Noboa campaigns for a November 16 referendum on security-related constitutional changes in a country grappling with worsening violence tied to drug trafficking.