The cabinet of Ecuador’s President Daniel Novoa issued a strong condemnation on Wednesday regarding an incident where protesters hurled rocks at the president’s motorcade, labeling it an assassination attempt. However, details from investigators about the attack on Tuesday remained sparse.
Later on Wednesday, the Ecuadorian attorney general’s office disclosed that a judge had deemed the arrests of five suspects unlawful, leading to their release. The office posted on social media, stating that this ruling hindered the possibility of prosecution.
On Sunday, following the end of fuel subsidies, a state of emergency was declared by Noboa in ten regions, triggered by two weeks of anti-government protests spearheaded by Ecuador’s largest indigenous group. As a result, diesel prices surged from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon.
The previous three administrations had only managed to raise fuel prices slightly after weeks of protests and negotiations with indigenous communities.
“The extent of aggression displayed during the attack on the caravan clearly indicates this was an assassination plot and an act of terrorism targeting the president,” Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo commented during a local news segment on Wednesday.
The Ecuadorian Federation of Indigenous Peoples, responsible for organizing the protests, contended that the president’s motorcade entered a known protest area to justify a militarized response, arguing that the government was meeting legitimate demands with force.
They also called on global human rights organizations to stay alert.
Yaku Perez, an attorney for the five detainees, remarked that there was “no possible linkage” of those arrested to the attack. “Their innocence has been reaffirmed,” he stated.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized the violence against Noboa’s convoy, expressing serious concern over the ongoing protests and urging a cessation of violence along with a call for peaceful dialogue, as conveyed by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Video footage from El Tambo, located 340 miles south of Quito, showed protesters hurling stones as the motorcade went by on Tuesday, with debris littering the roadway. The five individuals arrested have yet to face charges.
Energy Minister Ines Manzano claimed there were bullet holes in the president’s convoy, but those claims have not been verified by investigators.
Upon arrival at a subsequent event, Novoa encouraged onlookers not to imitate “the actions of those who tried to impede our presence today. Such attacks won’t be tolerated in a revitalized Ecuador.”
The US State Department’s Western Hemisphere Bureau condemned the attack as well, vowing support for Ecuador while opposing political violence, according to their statement on social media.
Recent clashes over fuel price hikes had already resulted in one civilian death and numerous injuries, with police detaining nearly 100 people. Some demonstrators took military personnel briefly hostage, but they were later released.
Noboa’s rise to the presidency had a significant backing from many indigenous communities that are currently protesting his administration, particularly in Cañar province, the site of Tuesday’s incident. He notably relied on their support during his re-election campaign this year.
