Ecuador President unharmed in attack on motorcade

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa escaped unharmed after his convoy was targeted by stone-throwing protesters and what a Minister described as a volley of gunfire on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

Mr. Noboa was inaugurating a water purification plant in central Ecuador when his convoy was raided by a large group protesting rising fuel prices.

“About 500 people showed up and were throwing rocks at him, and clearly there are bullet marks on the president’s car as well,” Environment Minister Ines Manzano said.

He said five people were arrested and will be tried on terrorism charges, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

In the video released by the government and reportedly taken from inside the convoy, protesters can be seen standing on the road, clad in flags, struggling to collect large stones and bricks.

As the president’s SUV passed, bullets struck panels and shattered windows.

“Upside down! Upside down!” A voice can be heard shouting. as the vehicle speeds away.

Authorities said they were still investigating whether some of the impact marks on Mr. Noboa’s armored Chevrolet Suburban were from gunfire.

‘War policy’

The alleged attack took place amid increasingly violent demonstrations sparked by the government’s decision to increase diesel prices.

Protesters went on strike, blocked roads and kidnapped 16 soldiers; The soldiers were eventually released unharmed.

Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organization reported on Sunday, October 5, 2025, that a protester was killed by armed forces during one of the rallies.

More than 100 people, including protesters and security guards, are thought to have been injured in the incidents.

Mr. Noboa declared a state of emergency in many provinces.

Mr. Noboa’s office said on social media following the attack that “cowardly actions will not deter the president.”

Albert Ramdin, president of the Organization of American States, said on social media platform X that “such violent acts are an attack on democracy, stability and the spirit of peaceful coexistence that should prevail in our societies.”

The Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador said the president’s motorcade “entered a zone of resistance” and that this led to “events that the government now uses to justify its war policy.”

Lawyer Yaku Perez told reporters that those arrested “were not protesting, they were just confused amidst the chaos where police used tear gas.”

The recently re-elected president is trying to cut diesel subsidies to save about $1 billion in government spending, directing most of the savings to security funding.

Once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, Ecuador has witnessed a dramatic increase in violence in recent years.

Strategically located between Colombia and Peru, two of the world’s largest cocaine producers, Ecuador has become a major transit hub for narcotics.

Authorities have accused drug gangs of fueling the unrest, saying criminal groups are exploiting the protests to destabilize the country.

It is estimated that 70% of the world’s cocaine supply passes through Ecuador, with the majority of it destined for the United States.

The trade attracted the attention of international criminal organizations, including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta and Albania’s mafia.

Competition for control of smuggling routes has made Ecuador one of the most dangerous places in the region.

Mr Noboa called for a referendum to lift the 2009 ban on foreign bases and allow the return of US troops to the country.

It was published – 08 October 2025 23:31 IST