BUENOS AIRES, October 13. /TASS/. Indigenous activists in Ecuador will continue protests across the country despite accepting President Lenin Moreno’s offer to hold dialogue, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador said on Twitter.
"We will hold contact in order to try to ensure the abolition of Decree 883 [on cancelling subsidies on fuel prices] but we will continue protests across the country demanding the government ensure adequate guarantees," the statement said.
The confederation explained that at the moment there were no talks between the protesters and the government. "There cannot be any real dialogue until security guarantees are provided for indigenous activists across the entire country’s territory," the statement said.
On Friday, President Moreno invited protest leaders to hold a direct dialogue in order to stop violence and stabilize domestic political situation. The confederation’s first reaction was to reject talks until the government dropped plans to cancel subsidies, but on Saturday the activists said they were in favor of dialogue.
The first round of talks between Ecuador’s government and the indigenous activists is due to be held the capital of Quito at 3 pm. local time on Sunday, the South American country’s UN mission wrote on Twitter. The mediators hope to find a quick solution to "the challenging situation that the country is facing."
Last week, Moreno signed a decree on cancelling fuel subsidies starting from October 3. This triggered a spike in fuel prices by more than 120%. Protests erupted in the country, soon turning into clashes with police. Moreno declared the state of emergency in the country.
Ecuador's authorities said on Wednesday that over 400 people, including 86 police officers, sought medical assistance. The press service of the human rights ombudsperson said that five people died in clashes between protesters and the police.
On Saturday, Quito Mayor Jorge Yunda said Ecuador’s leadership had agreed to meet the protesters’ demands and scrutinize the decree on cancelling subsidies on fuel. Later Moreno made a decision to introduce curfew in Quito and its outskirts.