Ecuador News

Friday’s indigenous protest against rising fuel prices and International Monetary Fund (IMF) restrictions was peaceful, attracting about 1,000 participants in Latacunga. Fears that the protest would spread to other communities and block highways proved unfounded. Protest leader, Leonidas Iza, president of the Indigenous Movement of Cotopaxi said he was pleased with the protest and praised...

Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, which contains much of the country’s oil reserves and a place where oil companies are expected to soon expand drilling, likely has a higher density of jaguars than any other place on earth. Yasuni is arguably world’s most biodiverse place. Its incredible riches include more species of insects in one hectare...

For Ecuador real estate agents and developers, the Covid-19 pandemic has only made a bad situation worse. Already in a slump in 2018 and 2019, those selling property today have seen the time on the market increase by as much as 50 percent since late 2019. “The market is in crisis and even as we...

By Robert Bradley The production and export of coffee in Ecuador continues its drastic decline, particularly in coastal regions. However, production per hectare is growing. The export of soluble, or “instant” coffee, represents 95 percent of total exports. Exports of specialty coffee beans continue to increase due to changes in crop management and marketing strategies,...

Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza says Friday’s mobilization against rising fuel prices will be peaceful but says he may not be able to control the anger of some of his followers. The protest is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Latacunga and may spread to other areas of the inter-mountain valley. Iza, president of the...

Beginning next week, the Ministry of Health will begin a nationwide testing program to determine how much of the population has been infected with the Covid-19 virus. Anti-body tests will be performed in all provinces and municipalities and could help determine how much of the population needs vaccines. “We have seen estimates that 50 percent...

President Guillermo Lasso will undergo a spinal cord operation in the U.S. later this month. According to his office, he will fly to Cleveland, Ohio for the procedure on June 21. The surgery is the third attempt to repair damage caused by misplaced epidural anesthesia needle following a 2013 fall in Spain. In the accident,...

Although the government does not keep records on the number of Ecuadorians traveling to the U.S., travel industry officials say the number is up at least 150 percent since early in the year. The majority of the additional travel, they say, is for the purpose of getting a Covid-19 vaccine. “Flights to Miami and New...

The national Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) said Thursday that it is not a sponsor of the national strike against high fuel prices but that local chapters are free to participate. The strike, called by the Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC) is scheduled for Friday, June 11. “We support the movement...

Motorcyclists briefly blocked traffic Monday in Quito to protest the city’s campaign against riders who drive between lanes of traffic, on sidewalks, and cut across private property. The new “Wheel with Respect” ordinance has resulted in more than a thousand fines and the confiscation of 200 motorcycles. Protesters say it is “illogical” for motorcycles to...

Pledging that “no one will have special privileges, including me” for receiving Covid-19 vaccines, President Guillermo Lasso hosted a Monday morning news conference laying out the details of his vaccination program. The president said he was confident that there will be “sufficient doses” for everyone, announcing that 18 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine...