Violent Ecuadorian Protests Over Fuel Hike Kill Protester, Injure Soldiers

Protests erupted in Ecuador following President Daniel Noboa's decision to end a diesel fuel subsidy, which caused prices to surge from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon. Indigenous groups, led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), called for an indefinite national strike, resulting in violent clashes between protesters and security forces. One Indigenous protester, Efraín Fueres, was shot and killed, while 12 soldiers were reported injured, with accusations exchanged between both sides regarding the violence. The government has declared a state of emergency and curfews remain in effect in heavily Indigenous-populated provinces. Human rights organizations and the UN have condemned the use of excessive force and called for investigations, while the Ecuadoran Prosecutor's Office has launched a probe into the incidents. President Noboa has accused protesters of criminal links, but Indigenous leaders insist on peaceful demands and urge international attention to the state's repression.