Tenth day of protests in Ecuador: there are already four dead

Do the protests seek to destabilize the Lasso government? 0:57 (CNN Spanish) – The Ecuadorian National Police reported a new death in the context of the protests against the government of President Guillermo Lasso, which brings the number of deaths to four since the beginning of the demonstrations. In a statement, he noted that the death occurred this Tuesday in the province of Pastaza, in the Amazon region, “as a result of handling an explosive device.” The Police clarified that they do not use this type of material to control public order and “even less so in peaceful citizen marches and demonstrations.” The institution said that the case will be investigated by judicial authorities and that it will provide support to clarify all the violent incidents, in addition to noting that it acts “with unrestricted respect for human rights.” With this, there are already four deaths related to the protests, which this Wednesday celebrate their tenth day. The Ministry of Health reported Tuesday in a statement that two people died last Sunday due to the obstruction of the passage of ambulances. Previously, the Police had reported this Monday that a person died after falling from a ravine in a sector of Guayllabamba, about 30 kilometers north of Quito. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), which has been leading the national mobilization since June 13 in some provinces, demands that the government reduce fuel prices, address the problem of unemployment, regulate the prices of farm products and fight crime, among other things. Lasso’s government made several calls for dialogue, but the indigenous movement set a series of conditions on Tuesday, including the demilitarization of certain sectors of Quito.