Noboa-Led Convoy Attacked in Ecuador as Indefinite Indigenous Strike Escalates

Overview

• Authorities say roughly 350 people attacked a humanitarian convoy led by President Daniel Noboa in Cotacachi, injuring 12 soldiers and seizing 17, with UN and EU diplomats present during the incident.
• Protester Efraín Fuerez, 46, died after being shot during clashes in Imbabura; Indigenous leaders and rights groups blame the Armed Forces, and prosecutors opened an investigation into the killing.
• CONAIE has called a nationwide, open-ended strike over the diesel subsidy elimination and rising fuel prices, consolidating roadblocks across the highlands and disrupting fuel and basic supplies.
• The government declared states of exception in eight provinces with night curfews in five, deployed military and police to clear roads, accused the Tren de Aragua gang of involvement, and warned of terrorism charges carrying sentences up to 30 years.
• Human-rights groups report at least 48 injured and about 100 detentions since the protests began, while videos shared by CONAIE show soldiers kicking men on the ground, intensifying concerns over excessive force.