Ecuador: President Moreno puts national capital under curfew, military control

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno on Saturday placed the national capital under curfew and military control following several days of mass protests against his decree cancelling fuel subsidies.

"I have imposed a curfew and military control in Quito and its surroundings. It will come into effect starting 15:00 [local time, 20:00 GMT]. It will facilitate the activities of law enforcement agencies against excessive violence," Sputnik quoted the President as saying on Twitter.

This comes even as earlier in the day, the mayor of Quito, Jorge Yunda, said that the President had agreed to reconsider his decree.

"The president, taking into account the complexity of the situation, has agreed to analyze Decree 883 one more time. In the next few hours, he will meet with the protest leaders," tweeted Yunda.

The abolition of fuel subsidies which triggered mass protests in early October was a part of the Ecuadorian government's austerity deal with the International Monetary Fund to be eligible for a USD 4.2 billion loan.

On October 5, it was reported that Ecuador's Interior Ministry had said that as many as 350 people had been detained during mass protests triggered by the government's decision to cancel fuel subsidies.

Earlier that week, Moren had announced the decision to end decades-long fuel subsidies for people in view that the state could no longer afford them, and the cuts could help the country save an estimated USD 2.27 billion a year.

Mass protests erupted after fuel prices soared when the decision came into effect. As civil unrest grew progressively violent, the President had declared a state of national emergency for two months.

( With inputs from ANI )