Ecuador News

Energy Minister Roberto Luque has extended the suspension of power blackout until at least May 27 but says maintenance work at several plants could require interruptions in the future. Problems at the Coca Codo Sinclair, east of Quito, continue to complicate the long-term electricity outlook, he said. “A month ago, it was the drought in...

Ecuador authorities should ensure that environmental consultations in relation to mining projects are aligned with human rights standards, notably by including all communities that will be affected by new extractive activities, and by respecting their right to freedoms of expression and assembly, a panel of UN human rights and environmental experts said Monday. “We are...

Attorney General Diana Salazar walked out of a National Assembly hearing Monday when the president of the Audit Commission attempted to allow former Assembly member Ronny Aleaga to address the session by video link. Aleaga, a member of the Citizens Revolution party, fled the country in March after a warrant was issued for his arrest...

Attorney General Diana Salazar said Sunday that the gunmen hired to kill presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio also planned to kill her. She also suggested that verbal attacks on her by some members of the National Assembly and others are “racist and sexist.” In radio interviews and a video posted on YouTube Sunday, Salazar claimed there...

The company behind the controversial Echo Olón residential project in Santa Elena Province announced Saturday it is suspending construction for the foreseeable future. Vinazin S.A, partly owned by President Daniel Noboa’s wife Lavinia Valbonesi, claimed the project has been “misrepresented for political purposes” and given the “chaotic situation” it has decided to end construction. Vinazin...

By Leo Collis In encouraging news for the survival of historic species on the Galapagos Islands, 136 juvenile tortoises have been repatriated following conservation efforts. According to the Galapagos Conservancy, the tortoises aged between five and nine years old reached the perfect condition to be released onto the land in January 2024, where they will...

By Paola López When fish numbers diminished in the Ecuadoran Amazon, the Siona Indigenous people blamed envious, rival shamans for blocking the animals’ passage through the rivers of Cuyabeno, a biodiverse wetland.   Experts, however, point the finger at pollution, deforestation and climate change wreaking havoc on the second-largest protected area in Ecuador.  Shaman Rogelio Criollo,...