Ecuador’s state-owned oil company Petroecuador declared force majeure across exploration, production, and transportation operations amid escalating protests against the government. This means that exports of oil from the Andean country will be halted, as protesters entered oil fields, Reuters reported , citing a statement by Petroecuador. The protests by indigenous peoples in Ecuador against the economic policies of the government of Guillermo Lasso, which have recently included fuel price hikes, prompted the president to declare a state of emergency across three provinces. This, however, did not stop the protests, as people demanded cheaper fuel and food price controls, Al Jazeera reported . The state of emergency was motivated by the high degree of violence erupting among protesters in the three provinces where it was declared, with President Lasso saying, “I called for dialogue and the answer was more violence, there is no intention to find solutions.” In addition to […]