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ECUADORIAN indigenous groups have suspended mass protests which have rocked the country for 18 days after signing an agreement with the government.
The deal, mediated by the Catholic church, sees the price of gas cut by 15 cent per gallon and brings an end to roadblocks and the lifting of a state of emergency.
Leader of the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) Leonidas Iza said they would suspend the protest after signing the agreement.
“Only the struggle has allowed us to secure rights!” he said.
“We have achieved measures to alleviate the economic situation, health and education of vulnerable rural and urban families,” Leonidas added.
The agreement provides for “the cessation of the mobilisations and the gradual return to the territories” where they came from to join the protest.
President Guillermo Lasso said: “We have achieved the supreme value to which we all aspire: peace in our country.”
“The strike is over. Now we begin together the task of transforming this peace into progress, well-being, and opportunities for all.”
Negotiations are set to continue however as poverty deepens and unemployment levels continue to rise.
