Yesterday, October 7, 2025, Ecuador experienced an episode of extreme political tension. President Daniel Noboa escaped unharmed from a violent attack on his official caravan in the El Tambo canton, Cañar province.
A group of approximately 500 people threw stones and, according to evidence, fired shots at the presidential vehicles. The incident occurred amid indigenous protests called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) against the elimination of the diesel subsidy.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Inés Manzano, filed a formal complaint that same afternoon before the Attorney General’s Office for attempted assassination against Noboa. “Five hundred people appeared and were throwing stones at the caravan; obviously, there are also bullet marks on the president’s car,” Manzano explained to the press outside the Prosecutor’s Office in Quito.
The presidential vehicle shows visible damage to the windshield and bodywork, with impacts currently under forensic analysis.
The attack occurred around 11:00 a.m. local time, when the convoy was heading to the El Tambo stadium to inaugurate a wastewater treatment plant and a sewage system.
Noboa was traveling escorted by his security team, but the convoy was ambushed by protesters who blocked the road and attacked the cars with blunt objects.
Despite the aggression, Noboa was unharmed and continued with his official agenda. He arrived by helicopter at the site and announced the construction of the treatment plant for $4.5 million, financed by the Development Bank of Ecuador, which will benefit 26,000 residents.
He also delivered the Sigsihuayco sewage system, with an investment of $891,000 by Petroecuador, and signed an agreement for the Quilloac sewage system worth $815,000. “We move from speech to action because our government delivers for farmers, transport workers, fishermen, and communities throughout the country,” the president declared during the event.
The National Police intervened immediately. Five people were arrested at the scene, accused of terrorism and attempted assassination. Among those detained is a cultural manager of the Kañari ethnic group, according to local reports. Authorities seized evidence and will prosecute those involved under the anti-terrorism law.
Manzano emphasized that “the ancestral indigenous communities are not involved in this, but rather certain criminal cells that provoke these acts of terrorism.” The government linked the attack to “destabilizing groups that follow orders of radicalization.”
This incident is not isolated. It occurred on day 16 of the national strike called by Conaie, which demands the reversal of the elimination of the diesel subsidy decreed on September 12, 2025. That measure raised the price per gallon from $1.80 to $2.80, affecting transport workers and farmers.
The indigenous organization also demands lowering the VAT from 15% to 12% and rejects the November 16 referendum on a new Constituent Assembly.
The Provincial Union of Cañari Communities and Cooperatives (UPCCC) had previously called for a march against Noboa’s visit, arguing that his policies ignore ancestral demands.
The Attorney General’s Office opened an immediate investigation for attempted assassination, terrorism, and damage to state property. Ballistic experts are examining the presidential vehicle.
Meanwhile, Noboa maintains his stance: “We will not back down; the subsidy benefited smuggling and illegal mining, not the poor.”
This attack reveals Ecuador’s deep fractures. Noboa, elected in 2023 with promises of a firm hand against crime, now faces an alliance between social protests and possible criminal infiltrators.
Conaie, historically powerful, is transforming economic demands into a political challenge reminiscent of the 2019 and 2022 strikes.In a country where drug trafficking controls ports and prisons, the line between legitimate protest and sabotage blurs.
Noboa is betting on concrete works to gain support in the indigenous south, but the human cost of the demonstrations—with injuries and arrests—feeds the cycle of distrust.
Will dialogue prevail over violence? The answer will determine whether Ecuador consolidates its “new” path or falls back into chaos.
The radical left, allied with dark interests, undermines the stability that is so hard to build. Noboa must toughen the law without losing social sensitivity, or progress will become a utopia.
