The main indigenous organization in Ecuador denied on Saturday that drug trafficking had financed its recent protest against the government, as affirmed by conservative President Guillermo Lasso after the deactivation of the demonstrations that he calls a coup attempt.
“We reject the absurd accusations of Guillermo Lasso about the financing of legitimate social protest,” said the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) in a release in relation to the demonstrations that ended on June 30 with a balance of six dead and more than 600 wounded, between agents and civilians.
“Cornered by the figures of rejection of his management and the inability to govern, he issues false and irresponsible accusations, aggravating the social and political upheaval caused by the government itself,” he added.
The Conaie protested for almost three weeks against the high cost of living with the blockade of highways at the national level and marches in several cities such as Quito, where some 10,000 demonstrators were mobilized who staged clashes with the public force.
USD 15 million from drug traffickers
Lasso told the Argentine digital newspaper this week Infobae that the aborigines, the political front led by the former opposition president Rafael Correa (2007-2017) and the drug traffickers came together to “manufacture a violent protest for political purposes to overthrow a legally constituted government.”
“This is an alliance with Correismo and a third actor participates in this alliance, which is the one that puts up the money for the protests, which will have cost close to 15 million dollars for 18 days. This actor is drug trafficking in Ecuador », he declared.
The government and Conaie signed a “peace act” with the mediation of the Catholic Church, in which Lasso, with 17% acceptance, agreed to lower the prices of the most used fuels by a maximum of 8%.
On July 1, the gallon of diesel went from 1.90 to 1.75 dollars and that of regular gasoline from 2.55 to 2.40 dollars.
On Thursday, a 90-day negotiation process began between the parties, in which a series of requests from Conaie and other native organizations, who previously demanded fuel reductions of up to 21%, will be analyzed.
The indigenous demand Lasso, who has a 17% acceptance rate but has military support, more centralized fuel subsidies for the inhabitants of the rural area.
Sabotage
The Conaie pointed out on Saturday that “the national strike was sustained in collective minga (community work) and solidarity with the peasant production of the Coast, Sierra and Amazon” and other sectors such as universities and citizens.
He warned that “Mr. Lasso’s malicious attitudes cast doubt on the signed minutes” and argued that the Executive “sabotages” the negotiation process.
Amid the protests, Lasso – a former right-wing banker who took office 13 months ago – was saved from being impeached by Congress, where a majority but divided opposition that blamed him for the political crisis was unable to muster enough votes to remove him.
Union for Hope (Unes, left), the main legislative force with 47 of the 137 seats, promoted the constitutional removal of the ruler. That movement is akin to Correa.
Lasso maintains a war against drug trafficking, to which he attributes a wave of violence inside and outside the prisons.
Clashes between gangs linked to foreign cartels have left some 400 prisoners dead since February 2021 in prisons in Ecuador, in prison massacres that are among the worst in Latin America.
? COMMUNICATION
We reject the absurd accusations of @LassoGuillermo on the financing of legitimate social protest, since its ineffectiveness it does not understand the organizational forms of indigenous peoples and the concept of solidarity. What do you expect @Presidency_Ec?#CONAIE pic.twitter.com/SWUDTUiDcB— CONAIE (@CONAIE_Ecuador) July 9, 2022
