GNV News, October 10, 2025

Since September 22, 2025, large-scale protests across Ecuador have continued. The protests were sparked when Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa announced the end of subsidies for diesel. While this is part of the policies Noboa is pursuing under the stated aim of generating funds needed to revitalize Ecuador’s stagnant economy, the Ecuadorian Indigenous Federation (CONAIRE), which believes those particularly affected will be Indigenous communities, many of whose members work in agriculture, fishing, and transport, is leading the movement, with strikes and road blockades underway. The Noboa administration has claimed that those participating in these activities are terrorists akin to drug and criminal organizations, declaring states of emergency in multiple provinces and carrying out heavy-handed repression using the police and military. As a result of this violent repression, one protester has been killed so far, and more than 100 people have been arrested.

Meanwhile, amid these protests, on September 28 the Ecuadorian government announced that vehicles carrying humanitarian aid dispatched by the president were attacked by a group of 350 armed individuals and that 17 army soldiers were kidnapped (see note). It also claimed on October 7 that a group had targeted the motorcade carrying Noboa and that stones were thrown at it. Ecuador’s defense minister condemned the stoning as “a clear assassination attempt and an act of terrorism.” The military further announced it would deploy 5,000 soldiers to the capital, Quito, and there is no prospect of de-escalation.

While the immediate trigger for these developments appears to be the end of the subsidies, they can also be seen as rooted in dissatisfaction with Ecuador’s deteriorating security and corruption. Ecuador was once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, but over the past decade numerous drug-trafficking and criminal organizations have entered, and the country has become a major trafficking route. As a result, public security has markedly worsened, and the homicide rate in 2023 increased to nearly six times that of 2018. In the presidential election held in April 2025 under these circumstances, Noboa, who had served as president since 2023, was re-elected despite being accused of irregularities. He has taken hardline measures against criminal organizations, but these have led to violations of citizens’ rights. Furthermore, it has been alleged that Noboa himself has engaged in wrongdoing and corruption and that, while cracking down on criminal groups, he has failed to take effective measures in specific areas such as money laundering.

Note: The 17 soldiers abducted at that time were released three days later.

To learn more about Ecuador’s economy → “Where is Ecuador’s economy headed?”

To learn more about Ecuadorian society → “Ecuador’s abortion issue: Are women’s voices being heard?”

To learn about South America’s cocaine problem → “2024 Hidden World Top 10 News #8”

Protests against Noboa’s policies photographed in September 2025 (Martin.vascovinueza / Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])