Ecuador: 350 detained in Ecuador during protests over end of fuel subsidies

Ecuador authorities have detained as many as 350 people during mass protests triggered by government's decision to cancel fuel subsidies, country's Interior Ministry said on Friday.

"As of 9 am (local time), the Ecuadorian security forces over the past 24 hours have detained 350 people during the protests," a statement by country's Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo read, as reported by Sputnik. "Most of them have been detained in Guayaquil (159 people), the second [largest number of detained people] in Quito (118 people)".

Earlier this week, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moren had announced the decision to end decades-long fuel subsidies for people in view that the state could no longer afford them, and the cuts could help the country save an estimated USD 2.27 billion a year.

Additionally, the cuts were part of the Ecuadorian government's deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be eligible for a loan amounting USD 4.2 billion.

Mass protests erupted on Thursday after fuel prices soared when the decision came into effect.

As civil unrest grew progressively violent, Moreno declared a national two-month state of emergency.