'We'll be providing security' - Military troops arrive in Quito to implement Defence Plan amid protests over diesel shortage

'We'll be providing security' - Military troops arrive in Quito to implement Defence Plan amid protests over diesel shortage

"Thousands of members of Ecuador's Armed Forces arrived in Quito on Friday to strengthen national security and protect strategic infrastructure during the national strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). Footage filmed on Friday shows members of the Armed Forces disembarking from an Ecuadorian Air Force plane and boarding official vehicles. "The Armed Forces of Ecuador, as part of their operational deployment, have transported around 7,000 soldiers by land and air to the capital of all Ecuadorians, to maintain the established order in our country, Ecuador," said Jefferson Aveiro, Major of the Ecuadorian Army. Aveiro also stated that personnel from the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force had been mobilised. He added that, following CONAIE's announcement of a march to Quito in protest against President Daniel Noboa's removal of the diesel subsidy, the armed forces would be deployed to maintain security. "Organisations have the right to hold their demonstrations or peaceful marches, and we will be providing security throughout the Metropolitan District of Quito," he said. The military deployment is part of Quito's Defence Plan, aimed at protecting public safety and maintaining order, following President Daniel Noboa's response to announced protests in the city."