Heavy rain triggers landslides and closes highways; Maduro claims Ecuador is ‘drug supplier to the world’; Coanie calls for ‘national minga’ to oppose Noboa

An intense rainstorm Tuesday afternoon in Cuenca overflowed streams and rivers and triggered landslides in Sayausí and on the Cuenca-Molleturo-Guayaquil highway. The rain also chased away vendors at various Cuenca holiday crafts fairs.

The Cuenca-Molleturo-Guayaquil route was closed for several hours, creating havoc for thousands of coastal residents heading home from the long holiday weekend. One lane of the highway was reopened early Tuesday night but many Guayaquileños decided to take the alternate coastal highway from Zhud, in Cañar Province

Mud covered the highway Tuesday afternoon in Sayausí.

Two landslides also briefly blocked the Cuenca-Loja highway (E35), but these were cleared by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The Cuenca fire department issued a warning to residents to stay away from riverbanks, as all four of the city’s rivers were near flood stage Tuesday night.

Ecuador rejects Maduro charge that Ecuador is ‘drug supplier to the world’
The Foreign Ministry denied a claim by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Tuesday that Ecuador is the “drug supplier to the world.”

“For Ecuador, it is unacceptable that a dictatorial ruler, orphan of all democratic legitimacy, linked to the Cartel of the Suns, intends to discredit the efforts of a country committed to regional security,” the ministry said in a statement.

In comments Monday, Maduro criticized President Daniel Noboa for his “criminal alliance” with U.S. President Donald Trump and his refusal to stop the flow of cocaine out of Ecuador’s shipping ports. “All the drugs that are produced in Colombia, Peru and in parts of Bolivia leave through Ecuador,” he said. “The president and his business partners support the drug trade in Guayaquil and other ports.”

Maduro also accused Noboa of being an “illegitimate” president who stole the recent election.

An official of the Interior Ministry who requested anonymity, told the El Comercio newspaper that it was true that a large percentage of Colombian cocaine is shipped from Ecuadorian ports. “However, it should be remembered that 90% of the world’s cocaine is transported to the U.S. and other countries by overland routes and by illegal drug boats,” he said.

Coanie calls for ‘national minga’ to oppose referendum
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) is calling for a “national minga” for a “no” vote on the four questions of the November 16 referendum. “We are determined in our opposition to the proposals of President Daniel Noboa and will energize our base to guarantee their defeat in the coming election,” Conaie President Marlon Vargas said Sunday.

In particular, Vargas said, indigenous people will fight Noboa’s effort to write a new national constitution. “His aim to strip the indigenous peoples and nationalities of their hard-won rights, achieved through years of struggle, by convening a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution,” he said. “He wants to take away our democratic guarantees, our health care, and our education. Essentially, he wants to privatize everything and put it in the control of his business cronies.”

Vargas also claimed Noboa wants to end the rights of nature that are included in the current constitution.