This article analyzes the structural causes and the government’s response to the National Strike that began in Ecuador in September 2025. It argues that while the elimination of the diesel subsidy was the trigger, the roots of the conflict lie in the deep opposition of social movements—led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) —to the consolidation of a neoliberal and extractivist agenda. Furthermore, the article exposes a pattern of state authoritarianism, the dismantling of social and environmental institutions, and human rights violations during the conflict’s management by President Daniel Noboa’s government.
Introduction: A Structural Conflict
The Ecuadorian socio-political context is marked by a National Strike called by CONAIE and various social organizations, which started on September 22nd and intensified throughout October 2025. The protests have caused a widespread national shutdown, road closures, and large gatherings in key provinces, leading to strong polarization across the country.
The elimination of the diesel subsidy was the economic measure that sparked the discontent. However, reducing the conflict to a dispute over fuel prices means ignoring the historical tensions underpinning the mobilization, which focus on rejecting a development model based on fiscal adjustment, extractivism, and increasing state repression. CONAIE, with a long history of social mobilizations (e.g., 2000, 2006, 2019, 2022), is thus expressing a deep-seated dissatisfaction that goes beyond the current situation.
I. The Roots of the Protest: Neoliberal Adjustment, Dismantling, and Dispossession
The causes of the National Strike reflect a profound dissatisfaction with the current government’s economic, territorial, and institutional policies:
A. The Deepening of Neoliberal Adjustment and Social Debt
The diesel measure is part of a broader fiscal policy designed to align the Ecuadorian state with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions and severe public spending cuts.
- Mass Layoffs: Noboa’s government implemented the layoff of at least 5,000 public employees in July 2025 (Primicias, 2025). Critical economists like Alberto Acosta have consistently pointed out that these policies, far from promoting equitable development, deepen the country’s reliance on foreign capital and sacrifice social welfare for the sake of macroeconomic stability (Acosta, 2018).
- Free Trade Agreement (FTA): The decision to negotiate an FTA with Canada, ignoring the popular vote against international arbitration, is seen as a surrender of sovereignty that favors large foreign companies to the detriment of local producers.
B. The Consolidation of the Extractivist Agenda and Environmental Dismantling
The government has aggressively promoted extractivism, disregarding collective rights and popular mandates.
- Oil Expansion and Prior Consultation: The government has promoted new oil rounds (Subandina and Suroriente), directly impacting 3 million hectares of Indigenous territories, without respecting the communities’ free, prior, and informed consent.
- Institutional Conflict of Interest: The merger of the Ministry of the Environment with the Ministry of Energy and Mines has created a clear conflict of interest, promoting an institution that should oversee conservation but is directly subordinate to the interests of extractive industries.
- Ignoring the Popular Mandate: The popular mandate from the 2023 referendum to leave oil underground in Yasuní and the vote against mining in water zones have been ignored. This pattern of disregard for the popular will and the rights of Nature is a fundamental focus of social opposition (Larrea, 2020).
C. Elimination of Rights-Based Institutions
State restructuring has also involved suppressing ministries essential for protecting vulnerable populations, signaling a regression in rights policy:
- Human Rights and Women: The elimination of the Ministry of Human Rights and Women is alarming, especially in a country facing high rates of gender-based violence, where it is estimated that a woman or girl is murdered every 21 hours (Alianza Feminista para el Seguimiento de los Femi(ni)cidios en Ecuador, cited in Fundación ALDEA, 2025).
II. Repression and Human Rights Crisis: Noboa’s Authoritarianism
The government’s response has been characterized by a categorical refusal to dialogue regarding the repeal of Decree 126, and the adoption of confrontation and securitization measures.
A. The Case of Efraín Fuérez and State Violence
Government actions have led to a severe human rights crisis. The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations of Ecuador documented, as of October 3, 2025, 196 reports of violations, including arbitrary detentions, disproportionate use of force, and the registration of one fatality (Alianza DDHH, 2025).
- Efraín Fuérez: The deceased is Efraín Fuérez, a community member whose death occurred during the repression carried out by law enforcement. His case has become a symbol of state violence and a central point in CONAIE’s demand for truth, justice, and reparations.
B. Criminalization and Regression of Collective Rights
The Noboa administration has attempted to delegitimize the mobilizations by accusing leaders of serious crimes such as “terrorism” (Wambra Medio Comunitario, 2025).
- The Threat of the Constituent Assembly: The proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly is viewed by social movements as an attempt to roll back collective and Nature rights enshrined in the 2008 Constitution, anticipating an even greater concentration of power and favoritism toward corporate interests.
Conclusion
The 2025 National Strike in Ecuador is the manifestation of a structural conflict that exposes the deep rift between the neoliberal-extractivist agenda pushed by Daniel Noboa’s government and the demands for social and environmental justice articulated by social movements.
By choosing repression, the criminalization of protest, and the dismantling of protective institutions (Ministries of Environment/Human Rights), the government has not only intensified polarization but has also demonstrated an authoritarian inflexibility in governing within a context of plurinational democracy. For CONAIE and popular sectors, the struggle is clear: to reverse the model of economic and extractive dispossession and defend the rights currently under siege.
References
- Acosta, A. (2018). El Buen Vivir: Sumak Kawsay, una oportunidad para imaginar otros mundos. Icaria Editorial.
- Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos. (2025, 3 de octubre). Vulneraciones a los Derechos Humanos en el Ecuador #ParoNacionalEc2025 (Boletín 9). [PDF] https://alianzaddhh.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Boletin-9.pdf
- Amnistía Internacional. (2025, 3 de octubre). Ecuador: Alerta por represión a protestas, independencia judicial y desapariciones forzadas. https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/news/2025/10/ecuador-alerta-por-represion-a-protestas-independencia-judicial-y-desapariciones-forzadas/
- CONAIE. (2025, 2 de octubre). Paro 2025: Conaie ratifica continuidad de las protestas y exige derogatoria del decreto 126. Radio Pichincha. https://www.radiopichincha.com/paro-nacional-undecimo-dia/
- Fundación ALDEA. (2025, 31 de marzo). 82 feminicidios en Ecuador: las cifras que el Estado ignora. http://www.fundacionaldea.org/noticias-aldea/primer-mapa-2025
- Larrea, C. (2020). Transiciones: Alternativas al extractivismo en Ecuador. FLACSO.
- Mongabay Latam. (2025, 21 de enero). Ecuador: proyecto minero Loma Larga prosigue a pesar de consulta popular que lo rechazó. https://es.mongabay.com/2025/01/ecuador-proyecto-minero-loma-larga-prosigue-consulta-popular-lo-rechazo/
- Primicias. (2025, 25 de julio). Reducción del gasto en salarios públicos es parte del acuerdo con el FMI, ¿cuánto se recortará hasta 2028? https://www.primicias.ec/economia/despidos-gasto-salarios-acuerdo-fmi-funcionarios-publicos-servidores-101491/
- Wambra Medio Comunitario. (2025, 18 de septiembre). La CONAIE anuncia un Paro Nacional en rechazo a la subida del diésel, la consulta popular y otras. Están son sus diez resoluciones. https://wambra.ec/conaie-anuncia-paro-nacional-rechazo-subida-diesel/