Ecuador escalates military deployment after 13 soldiers injured in violent protests

BOGOTA, Colombia

Clashes between the military and demonstrators in the town of Otavalo in northern Ecuador left 13 soldiers injured on a day of escalating protests against a decision by President Daniel Noboa to raise diesel prices.

The Armed Forces of Ecuador said the soldiers were injured during blockades after being targeted by "violent attacks perpetrated by groups that used Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, machetes and knives."

The injured soldiers were subsequently airlifted to hospitals in Imbabura for treatment.

The violence occurred hours after the Presidency of Ecuador confirmed that it had deployed the Armed Forces and National Police to confront the persistent blockades in the region.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which organized the demonstrations, accused the government of repressing the protests, stating that "Imbabura (province) and Otavalo resist with dignity in the face of a government that has chosen violence instead of dialogue."

CONAIE has also accused the government of obstructing access to medical services, harassing personnel and denying care to the injured, which they consider a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

President Noboa—who declared a state of emergency earlier this month in 10 provinces—maintains that the blockades are unjustified and are an attempt to prevent the development of his vision for "the new Ecuador."

Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg announced that the number of military personnel in Imbabura province—the epicenter of the protests —will be increased by 5,000.

'We will be here for as long as it takes to restore peace to the province,' said Reimberg.

The increase is in addition to the thousand troops already deployed at the beginning of the week as part of a humanitarian convoy.