Protestors, from different occupations such as farmers, students, workers, and transporters, gather to join the national strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) against President Guillermo Lasso on the fifth consecutive day in Quito, Ecuador on June 17, 2022.

Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso said on Sunday he would cut prices for gasoline and diesel by 10 cents a gallon, the latest concession to try to end nearly two weeks of anti-government protests in which at least six people have died.

The demonstrations by largely indigenous protesters demanding lower fuel and food prices, among other things, began on June 13 and have slashed Ecuador's oil production.

Lasso, whose adversarial relationship with the national assembly has worsened during the protests, had already withdrawn security measures and announced subsidized fertilizers and debt forgiveness, and his government met last weekend with indigenous groups. 

The leader of the CONAIE indigenous organization, Leonidas Iza, had flagged gasoline prices and other issues as still outstanding earlier on Sunday, promising to keep up the demonstrations until they were settled.

"Everyone considers that gas prices have become the cornerstone of maintaining the conflict and though we as a government are very clear that this factor isn't the origin of Ecuadoreans' problems, we must think of the common good and citizens' peace," Lasso said in a statement.

"I have decided to reduce the price of gasoline extra and Ecopais [gasoline] by 10 cents per gallon and also diesel by 10 cents per gallon," Lasso said.

Lasso froze prices for gasoline extra at $2.55 a gallon and diesel at $1.90 a gallon in October 2021, setting off an initial series of protests.

Gasoline extra will now cost $2.45 per gallon, while diesel will cost $1.80, both still higher than CONAIE had requested.

Reuters