Description: Ecuadorian President, Daniel Noboa, has avoided an alleged assassination attempt while traveling in the rural area of El Tambo. Protesters pertaining to the CONAIE indigenous organization who have been protesting for over two weeks, ambushed Noboa’s convoy as they threw rocks and other objects towards his vehicle, while his personal security team has stated that the car had bullet holes in it. CONAIE protesters have been ongoing for over two weeks after Noboa’s plan to cut diesel subsidies which would reportedly result in reduction of approximately $1.1 billion funds which would be redirected to social programs in rural areas. The attack was the second of its kind since Noboa’s convoy was also attacked by protesters in mid Sep. Noboa has declared a state of emergency in 10 of the country’s 17 provinces where in most instances he has deployed military forces to counter the spiraling gang violence. The President also faces scrutiny for launching industrial oil and mining programs in rural areas where protesters have claimed he endangered the cultural and historical heritage of the country.
Impact: Ecuador’s domestic crisis has mostly spread across the rural areas amongst the country’s indigenous people who are threatening wider destabilization and consistently attack the President for his policies. The crisis is further widened by the growing threat of gang violence which earlier in Sep resulted in a deadly standoff between security forces and prisoners in the port town of Machala. The internal security and economic crisis is rapidly engulfing larger parts of the country putting Ecuador’s economic and political prospects of stability under severe scrutiny. Noboa is faced with mounting pressure from indigenous groups, surging gang violence and stifling economy which indicates that the period of instability would be considerably protracted, potentially broadening into a wider spectrum of anti – government movements which could eventually prompt nationwide political crisis.